Living with Helga
by DeepVoice'06
Summary: Post TJM. 6th grade was supposed to be easier for Arnold. A new relationship with Helga? The Beeper Emporium bought out? That was all it took and he was back to solving others problems. The last thing he wanted was for Helga to be homeless, but living with her was one of the most difficult things he ever did. And keeping it from his parents? Well, that was another story. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: Did He Really Love Her

**Hey Arnold! Living With Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. This chapter is **K.** Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer For Story:** Obviously, I don't own Hey Arnold! _or_ the first movie _or_ the jungle movie. Craig Bartlett, Viacom, and Nick does. :) I also don't own _any_ song lyrics I post in these chapters. They are purely inspiration for my writing, and ways to make it clear where I'm headed in the story, and confuse you to death... Don't you love me?

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 **Chapter 1: Did he _really_ love her?**

 **October 6th, Evening...**

Did he _really_ love her...?

The question had been burning in Helga's mind since the moment they left San Lorenzo. Of course, Arnold had sat in the back with his parents on the airplane going back to Hillwood. It was understandable since he had not seen them since he was a baby. Helga had sat up front with Phoebe and Gerald, making small talk and avoiding anything to do with her or Arnold's feelings. Ever since that day, Arnold and she had never discussed the kiss...

Now, it was October 6th. Nearly three months since San Lorenzo happened, and things were still the same. Helga stood on top of the Beeper Emporium with her binoculars. She watched Arnold walk down the street towards his house; the street lights were just starting to come on. She narrowed her eyes with determination. She was going to make sure that his feelings for her were real, that the kiss he gave her wasn't a kiss of gratitude or even a kiss of death.

She went inside the Beeper Emporium with a new plan set forth inside her 11-year-old mind. No, she wouldn't stalk him tonight or call to get the truth out of him like she used to do. That was too difficult and too risky. Besides, what if he _did_ just like her as a friend and the kiss had just been a thank you? She would be torn to pieces all over again, and the last thing she needed was awkwardness in her last year of P.S. 118. She definitely didn't want to ruin the bond she had created with him over the summer.

She turned off the lights. She noticed the candles around her shrine were starting to die down, so she went to the right of her shrine towards her "Love Box". She opened the love box, pulled out her 24 volumes of poetry, one by one, and sat them aside. She pulled out a pack of incense fragrances at the bottom of the love box, and smiled. It had been a while since she cast a spell, not since fourth grade, but after all that happened, she saw a need for it. She was looking for one book in particular, something different than her poetry, and finally found it, along with the incense sticks she buried at the bottom exactly for this occasion. She grabbed a lighter she had laying to the side of her shrine **,** and with that, relit the burnt-out candles. Soon, the room was glowing. She looked up to her shrine in awe. No matter how many times she saw her love god, he was always perfect in her eyes. Absolutely _perfect_ , and always would be.

She lite up a couple incense sticks and gently sat a cast-iron bowl in front of her shrine. She waved the incense sticks around **,** and slowly, a yellow and red fog surrounded her. She closed her eyes, kissing the two powder packs of incense she had purchased at Madam Blanches specifically for this occasion. She opened them and poured them in the bowl she had. She molded the two incenses together with her hands and took a deep breath. She lite a match on the powdered incense. The light from the incense turned blood red and the room grew even more foggy. She stood up and walked over to her shrine with the incense sticks in her hands. She sat on her knees in front of her shrine.

"Arnold, my little football-headed love god, my muse, my passion, my _inspiration!_ If only I knew your true feelings for me! Whether it 'tis gratitude or unconditional; whether you care or not. Arnold, you kissed me and yet this school year, things are the same. You haven't spoken of San Lorenzo or the kiss we shared! You've forgotten how it feels to be joined together; to partake in a breathtaking kiss that lifts up both of our feet in wonder. But no more!" She waved her incense sticks around, closing her eyes in concentration. "I want you to burn for me, my love! I want to set your feelings free again! I want you to feel what it feels like to be in love! Your pure heart invades my soul, my darling, may it fill with fire and passion for me! That hole that has been filled by your parents, may you use your renewed heart to love _me_! Eternally, unconditionally, and forever." She breathed in the incense through her nose, and suddenly began to cough harshly. She jumped from her seat and away from the smoke, trying to catch her breath. She blinked rapidly. "Huh...maybe I used a little bit too much of the fire of love powder. Oh well." She held her dirty hands together with a smile and stared at the smoke in front of her. "Oh, Arnold!" She knelt down again and worshiped her work...

* * *

It was 3 am across town. Arnold suddenly woke up out of a deep sleep, opening his eyes in confusion. He was wide awake all of a sudden and didn't understand why. Usually, when he woke up out of a deep sleep, it was because something was wrong. He didn't have any nightmares about his parents that night, so it wasn't because of his dreams. He sat up from his bed and looked over at the time. It said 3:06 am.

He sighed. "Well...I might as well go downstairs and get some milk to help me fall back asleep." He walked downstairs and to his surprise, his Grandpa was walking out of the bathroom as he came down the hallway.

"Whew, don't go in there for awhile." He shut the door and looked at Arnold in surprise. "Hey there, Shortman. What are you doing up at this hour?"

Arnold shrugged. "I don't know, Grandpa. Usually when I wake up out of a deep sleep, something is wrong. Are my parents okay? Are they still here? Did any of the boarders leave overnight?"

"Oh, Arnold. You're not having those nightmares about your parents again, are you? Miles and Stella are home, have been for three months now." He put his hand on his chin, thoughtfully. "Kind of wish one of them found a job though, bills are piling up."

They both walked into the kitchen.

Arnold went to the fridge to pour a glass of milk. "I don't think I was dreaming about them...not since a couple days ago. Grandpa, why do I keep having these nightmares that my parents are still gone?"

They sat down at the table together. His grandpa thought a moment. "Hmm...I have no idea. Well, you don't need to worry now,Arnold, everything is good here. Your parents are alive and they're not going _anywhere_ this time."

He nodded and looked down at the table. "I know. I just wish I could convince myself of that. Maybe I'm worried they're going to leave again. How do you get rid of that fear, Grandpa?"

Phil patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Give it some time, my boy. The nightmares will end. Everything is still new to you."

Arnold looked down at his hands and thought about something else. "...I still can't believe Helga did this for me. I knew deep down she was a good person, but I never expected so much at once."

Grandpa laughed, taking his hand off his shoulder. "I told you she likes you, Arnold! Pookie did the same thing to me when we were kids!"

Arnold sat up and blinked. "Wait a minute...Grandma? My grandma picked on you because she liked you?"

Grandpa nodded. "She was afraid I didn't feel the same way, Shortman, so she hid her feelings for me."

Arnold nodded. "I realize that's what Helga has been doing now, but I'm not exactly sure what to do about it. I mean, since we've gotten back from San Lorenzo, I haven't focused too much on it. I've been focusing on getting to know my parents again."

"Well, that's completely normal, Arnold. They've been out of your life for over ten years."

"I know, and I have been wanting to talk to Helga about all of this, but the few times I've tried, she's pulled away. I mean, I've tried to hold her hand on the walk to school but she makes up an excuse every time. Not only that, but sometimes I'll talk to her in class or at her locker, and she'll avoid me because she has something else to do."

"Sounds like she's afraid of something."

"I wish I knew what that something was. I mean, from what Gerald told me, the class already knows she loves me, so it can't be that. And she has to know how I feel about her."

"Did you tell her? Or was your parents' story right and you just kissed her?" Grandpa smirked.

Arnold fiddled with his hands in nervousness. "Well...yeah. But I didn't know exactly what to say after we kissed. I don't know how to get the words out that I want to tell her."

"Tongue tied, huh? Your father was the same way with your mother when they were dating. Constantly afraid he would do or say something wrong."

Arnold looked up. "Does that feeling ever go away?"

"It usually gets worse as you get older."

Arnold sighed, not reassured at all. "Well, thanks for being honest with me."

"Anytime, Shortman. I'm going back to bed. Don't stay up too late! Just because it's your twelfth birthday doesn't mean you don't have school tomorrow." Grandpa pondered for a moment. "…unless, of course, I call your principal and tell him you're having a family issue and need to stay home with your parents… _that_ would be a good way to stay home, maybe go to the beach..."

"No thanks, Grandpa. I can't avoid my issues with Helga, and I still need to go to school tomorrow."

Grandpa shrugged as he walked out of the kitchen. "Suit yourself, Arnold. I thought a beach trip would be the perfect way to relax."

Arnold put one hand to his chin and glanced out the window. He didn't know for sure whether it was true, but he had a feeling something was wrong with Helga. His Grandpa did have good intentions, but he couldn't avoid her forever. He needed to talk to her about that summer, but he had no clue how to start the conversation.

* * *

 **October 7th, Morning...**

Arnold sat next to Gerald on the bus to school. "Hey, Gerald."

"Hey, Arnold," Gerald smirked. "So, rumor has it that you and Pataki are dating."

"Helga and I are dating? We're not dating right now. I still need to talk to her about what happened in San Lorenzo. Where did you hear we were dating? Oh no, you didn't start the rumor, did you?" he said, remembering that Gerald and his parents saw them kiss.

"Why would I do that to you and Pataki? We've all been through too much this summer together for me to blackmail you. Actually, I'm surprised you haven't heard about it **.** Rumor has been going around the school a couple weeks now. I'm not sure if it's something Rhonda has spread or somebody else saw the two of you together. I just figured it was true by now since both of you haven't said anything about it."

Arnold sighed. "Gerald, don't you think if Helga and I were in a relationship, I would've told you by now?"

"I don't know, man. All I can say is...people don't just fake the kinda kisses you two shared together. And those blushes...are you _sure_ you two only kissed? I remember kinda losing sight of you a few times before we reached the airport…"

Arnold sunk in his seat, embarrassed. "Gerald! I was trying to _talk_ to her! And…she barely said anything to me…I could barely say anything…she said I should be with my parents."

Gerald smirked at him. "I knew it. So, it _is_ true, isn't it?"

"I'm confused. I just told you that were not in a relationship. Why would we be dating?"

Gerald shrugged. "Because you two _obviously_ like each other, just like me and Phoebe. It's okay to admit it. I wouldn't mind going on double dates with you both. You know Phoebe and I just started going out recently, and we wouldn't mind having company on our dates for a change..."

"...Wait a minute, I knew about Phoebe but... I thought you hated Helga."

"Hated her? Man, I never hated the girl. I didn't like the way she treated you in the past, but that's the past. After seeing all her videos and encouraging her to be open with the class about her feelings, my feelings for her changed. I think I saw her as a human being for the first time in my life. She also went pretty far to help you get to San Lorenzo, and even encouraged _me_ not to give up on _you_ after you betrayed the whole class. Now, that's loyalty. She had more faith in you than _I_ ever did. You can't find that everywhere, Arnold. And if anything, she's a much better choice for you than _Lila_ could ever be. At least this one you don't have to chase around and make her _like you like you_ instead of just _like you_. You know Helga loves you with everything she has! Even before you kissed, she sacrificed her locket. Eduardo and I saw it. You could've rejected her right then and there, but she didn't care about that; she just wanted you to be happy, and wanted you to be with your parents."

The bus stopped in front of the school. As Arnold and Gerald walked out, Helga stomped past them. She was clearly in a bad mood and obviously missed the bus that morning for some reason.

Gerald shook his head. "All I can say is Arnold, if I had to pick between _this_ Helga," he held out a hand, "and the Helga I got to know in San Lorenzo, I would pick San Lorenzo."

Arnold sighed with a shrug. "I still don't understand why she's been acting this way again. I thought I made my intentions clear by kissing her..."

"Apparently it didn't sink in. You need to express your feeling for her with more than a kiss."

"I can't." Gerald's eyes widened as he continued. "Gerald, this doesn't feel the same as when I _like-liked_ Lila. I... don't exactly know how to describe it, and I feel like saying that I _like_ _-_ _her_ _-_ _like_ _-_ _her_ just isn't enough. I mean, Helga said she _loved_ me, and I wanna say that too, but I don't want to string her along in case...in case I'm just confusing my own feelings. I mean, I'm really grateful for all she's done, and she deserves a lot more, I just...don't know if I can give it to her, even though I would like to..."

Gerald sighed at the sight of Helga as he walked in the school with Arnold. She slammed the door to her locker and headed to class, threatening Harold with her fist before walking in.

"Look man, you gotta do something or you're going to lose that girl forever. She's already bullying the class again, or have you not noticed?"

Arnold sighed and looked at Gerald at a loss at what to do. "I can't change her, Gerald. You know that."

"Well, at least do me a favor and encourage her to go back to the way she was. I was actually starting to be friends with her." He sighed and both walked to their seats in the front beside each other.

Rhonda looked up as Helga passed her. "Hold it right there, Pataki. We need to have a girl-to-girl talk, right now!"

Helga growled as she faced Rhonda. Her morning had not gone well at the beeper emporium. "Can it, Rhonda-Lloyd. You're the last person I want to deal with today."

"Hmm. Going back to your pre-relationship bullying days, I see. Don't you think that might _hurt_ your new relationship?"

Helga scowled. "I don't _have_ a relationship, princess. Where did you hear that crap? From one of your air-headed friends?"

"No, I got it from a much more reliable source. So, how is your relationship with Arnold? Didn't it start in San Lorenzo? Do you two realize your only the second couple in our grade to get together this year?"

Helga was starting to get fed up. "It _started_ in San Lorenzo; it _ended_ in San Lorenzo. The poor sap just wanted a summer romance like he did two years ago when we did that _Babewatch_ episode on spring break. For crying out loud, haven't you noticed that we haven't been out on dates? Holding hands? Looking in each other's eyes like lovesick buffoons?!"

Rhonda blinked. "Wait... _w_ _hat?_ But...I thought. Arnold's parents told us on the airplane back they saw you kiss! You mean to tell me that you haven't been on dates afterwards, at all?!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Lloyd, but this isn't where you're going to find your gossip of the year at."

"But...his parents. They told me and Nadine..."

"I hope _you_ _two_ aren't the ones spreading rumors, otherwise your dentist is going to get his Christmas bonus two months early!" She cracked her knuckles.

"But... _H_ _elga_ , nothing else happened in San Lorenzo after you kissed? You two just... _broke up?!_ "

Helga shrugged as she tried to act unaffected. "Yeah, yeah, but on good terms. Didn't work out, end of story. Sorry that we couldn't do more to fill your need for hearing and spreading insane gossip around the school." She walked away to sit down.

Rhonda was speechless as she tried to continue the conversation. She was really hoping to be closer friends with Helga after everything that happened. She was very confused. "But...but...you seemed so _cute_ together! You just... _c_ _omplement_ each other!"

Helga banged her hands on the desk and stood up. "Look, Rhonda-Lloyd, if you're so obsessed with getting gossip material, why don't _you_ date that football-headed creep?"

Rhonda sighed, turned around to look at Nadine, and whispered. "What a disappointment..."

Arnold had been watching the whole thing from his desk and felt his heart sink in his chest. Yes, Helga and he were _definitely_ due for a long talk, that was for sure. Summer romance and a break-up? He needed to talk to her before this rumor got _any more_ out of hand.

Gerald turned to whisper to him. "I told you so."


	2. Chapter 2: Helga's Dysfunctional Life

**Hey Arnold! Living With Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. This chapter is **K+.** Enjoy!

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Ajay435: Thank you for the review, and glad to be back. Already it's getting heavy in this chapter; there's going to be deep conflict in almost every chapter at this point.  
Miyasa: Thank you for the review. No rape in this story, but there will be abuse. This chapter talks about it lightly, but not descriptive. I'll post a warning when the abuse starts and change the rating. It's one or two chapters.  
Jam: I'm abbreviating your name. Thanks for the review, and hope you like it.  
thatamosgirl: Thanks for the review!  
Ezza: Thank you for the review. They definitely talk in this chapter.  
starfiction123: Thank you for the review, and glad to be back. Glad to hear you enjoyed Cafeteria Confessions! This thing is going to be very dramatic, but it's an enjoyment writing so far. Hoping you enjoy this as much as my other stories, I'll try and keep you on your toes lol.

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 **Chapter 2: Helga's Dysfunctional Life  
**

 **October 7th, Afternoon...**

After school, Arnold walked over to Helga at her locker. Conveniently, his locker was right beside hers that year, on the top. "Helga, we need to talk."

Without missing a beat, she took her books out and slammed her locker door. She didn't even look at him. "Can't talk now, bucko. I have library books due today, and Phoebs is too busy locking lips with Gerald to do it," she started to walk away.

" _Why_ are you avoiding me?!" He put his hands on his hips as he stared angrily.

Helga stopped mid **-** walk. _That_ was unexpected. She spoke, nervously and fast. "I'm not avoiding you-"

"-Helga," he walked over. "Every time I've tried to hold your hand in the last month, you've made an excuse not to. Not to mention when were in school you avoid talking to me-"

"-So, what's your point?" she crossed her arms and looked at him. "And who says I'm making excuses? Criminy, you're making a mountain out of a mole hill!" She laughed nervously. "I'm just going to the library."

He took her books out of her hands and she blinked in shock. "Then, maybe you wouldn't mind if I walked with you there. There's a lot we need to discuss."

Helga blinked a moment, but then shrugged. He was persistent as always, so avoiding him was out of the question. "Whatever floats your boat, Football Head."

As they walked out of the school, he started his questions. "Why are you being mean?"

"This just in, Arnold. I _am_ mean."

"But... I thought after everything that happened in San Lorenzo, things would be different-"

"-What are _you_ complaining about?! Things _are_ different, bucko. You won a trip, saved your parents, came home-"

"That's not the whole story and you know it. There's three things that you're forgetting to mention."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" She stopped walking a moment and stared him down, hoping to stop the annoying questions.

Arnold looked into her eyes a moment, then they started walking together again. "Well... I didn't win the trip, _you_ won the trip for me by putting together a documentary of me with the class, and you did it in less than 24 hours. Plus, you saved my parents by sacrificing your locket, and showing your heart to me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, so what? I can do nice stuff once in a while, _big_ deal. Anything else that's so _noteworthy_ that's worth wasting my time?"

"Well, you also... uh... I mean, we..." he blushed darkly. He remembered what the next thing that happened between them was, and it was their kiss. The one thing he was _not_ comfortable talking about.

"I thought so." They were already at the public library, so Helga snatched the books from his hands and dropped them off in the drop slot and started to walk away from Arnold. "Well, now that we got all _that_ cleared up, I'm headed home. See you in the funny papers, Arnold."

Arnold spoke up quickly, not wanting to lose her attention. "Wait, Helga... we need to talk about... about the _kiss!_ "

Helga stopped dead in her tracks again and blinked. Even after 8 years, he still left her speechless. " _Now?!_ " She looked over at him, angrily. "Wait a minute, you've had three months to bring this up. Why are you just bringing this up _now_?!"

Arnold rubbed his arm nervously and walked over to her. "Because... because I didn't know _how_ to bring it up to you, _okay?_ I don't know _how_ to talk to you sometimes, and I was a bit afraid of you going off on me about it."

"Yeah, right, since when have I _ever_ went off on you?" she said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

He took a deep breath as he walked closer to her, whispering softly. "Why are you denying everything and acting like it didn't happen? This isn't FTI and were not in fourth grade anymore. Also, from what Gerald told me, the class knew you loved me when they helped you finish the video. Why all the secrecy?"

"Oh, _come on_ , Arnold! Quit acting like you care!" she bowed her head in defeat and whispered. "Everything's back to the way it was. You've got everything you want and that's that."

He whispered. "Not everything." He was in front of her.

Helga's eyes widened as she looked at him. She whispered back. "Get real, Arnoldo. The last thing you want is to wander the halls of P.S **.** 118 with my hand in yours. Cut the act, already!"

Arnold was saddened. "Is that what you really think my feelings are for you, an _act_?"

She shrugged. "Well, _yeah_. I mean, you were just really grateful to have your parents back."

He couldn't believe it; she really believed his feelings were only because of gratitude, Arnold put his hands on her shoulders gently. " _Look_ at me," she blinked as she looked into his sad green eyes. "I want you to know something. Gratitude was only _one_ of the reasons that we kissed."

Her blue eyes were sad looking back into his green eyes. "How can I believe you? It's not like you've told me. It's not like you've confessed your undying love for me. It's not like we've started dating."

Arnold let go of her shoulders and grabbed her hands instead, giving them a squeeze. "Haven't you ever heard the saying: actions speak louder than words? I knew I would get nervous and say something wrong when I was trying to tell you, so I decided to show you instead. Not much different than what you did on the FTI building when we were in fourth grade-"

She let go of his hands. "But Arnold-o, you were _terrified_ of me then. Heck, you were terrified of me when we were talking on the crow's nest, _nothing_ has changed."

"Yeah, and I was scared when I grabbed your hands to kiss you too. I was worried you would push me or yell at me to get away."

"Love knows no fear, bucko." She crossed her arms and looked away. "And unless you can _tell_ me your feelings, I don't believe you have any."

Arnold closed his eyes and sighed. Why did she have to make things so complicated? Oh well. It was time to admit his feelings anyway. He took a deep breath and grabbed her hands again nervously. They looked in each other's eyes again. "Helga, I don't know an easy way to explain this or to say this to you, but... after working together in San Lorenzo to find my parents, and you sacrificing your locket so that my parents would wake up from the sleeping sickness, I realized what kind of person you were, and realized that I wanted that in my life." Helga's expression softened and she looked at him a bit surprised. He continued. "You are brave, loyal, assertive, caring... I can't even begin to use words to describe how wonderful you are... and... and I appreciate everything you've done to help me... even when I wasn't looking for you to-"

"...Cut to the _chase_ , Arnold. I didn't ask for a speech, I just wanted you to tell me how you feel!" She narrowed her eyes.

"Right. Sorry, Helga. Anyway," he scratched his arm. He was more nervous than he was before. He took her hands again and gave them a squeeze to encourage himself to keep speaking. "I... I guess what I'm trying to say to you by all this is... well, what I mean to say by everything that I've said, and with everything that's happened is..." He looked into her blue eyes that were as deep as the ocean's tide. She was beautiful. How come he was noticing this for the first time? "Well, you're amazing, and I..."

All her dreams were finally coming true. Finally, she would hear the words she so longed to hear. She smiled love-sickly, waiting for the confession to come. "And you...?"

"I..." He let go of her hands and touched her shoulders gently as he continued to look into her eyes. He tried to find the words again. "I really care for you, _so_ much, actually that I..." When she was vulnerable like this, she was everything he ever wanted. How could he possibly explain it to her in _words?_ "...that I'm..." And then, instead of confessing his feelings, he leaned in and kissed her lips softly.

Helga's eyes widened in shock, but only for a moment as she leaned in to kiss him back. She placed her hands on his back gently as he held her shoulders. She wanted to French, to speed up, to dive into his mouth, anything to bring him even closer, but she figured since he initiated the kiss, she might as well follow his lead and let him do as he pleased.

Arnold slowly parted his lips from hers and looked into her eyes again. The both of them looked at each other, speechless, for different reasons...

They heard a voice. " _Man,_ for two people who don't want everyone to know they're in a relationship, you guys are sure playing it risky, kissing out here in the open."

Arnold and Helga turned to him and both said, " _Gerald!_ "

"So, what's up?" he said nonchalantly as he walked over to them. "Are you guys dating yet, or is this some kind of publicity stunt?"

Helga was about to defend herself, somehow, but Arnold beat her to the punch, saying something totally unexpected.

"Um... yes. Yes, we _are_ dating..." he turned to glance at Helga, who with those words, collapsed to the ground. " _Helga!_ "

Gerald went over to help as he rolled his eyes. "Well, you should have convinced her..."

* * *

Later that night, after some cold water to Helga's face and some reassurance from Arnold that he really _was_ dating her, the three of them ended up on Arnold's stoop, eating ice cream.

Arnold was speaking to them. "My parents don't have a job yet. I'm really hoping they'll be able to find one soon. I overheard Grandpa saying there was no available rooms in the boarding house to rent out since my parents came back, and I know he's struggling to pay bills."

Gerald shook his head. "You got to stop worrying about that. Things will come together. You can't solve _every_ problem in the world, Arnold."

He sighed. "Unfortunately, I probably can't."

Gerald turned to Helga. "So, _Helga_. When did the two of you start dating?"

"Criminy, what's with all the _blabbing_ from the both of you?!" She rubbed her arm, nervously. "I didn't even _know_ we were a couple until he told me."

Gerald shook his head at her. "I don't get why you can't be yourself around me. We're friends, right? Arnold and I aren't going to make fun of you for liking him."

Arnold cleared his throat, nervously. "It's a bit more than 'like', Gerald."

Helga growled at Arnold as he blinked in surprise.

Gerald continued matter of factly. "What I mean is, there's nothing stopping you from being open with us. No reason to pretend with the class anymore. I don't think they care if you have feelings for him or not."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Of _course_ they care. I've done nothing but bully others for years. They're going to _pounce_ on any opportunity for weakness they find in me. Anyway, shouldn't you and Phoebs be off somewhere kissing?"

Gerald blushed lightly as he continued. "Phoebe's at home...studying for the next test..." he quickly changed the subject because of nervousness. "A...Anyway, you mean a lot to Phoebe, and now a lot to Arnold, and if they care for you, so do I. All I ever wanted was to get along with you without the fighting all the time, or you bullying my best friend around. I'd like it to continue that way. I want us to be friends."

Helga was shocked. "F... F... Friends? You consider us _friends_ , even after all the times I've bullied you? Did you hit your head or something, Gerald?"

Gerald turned to Arnold. "I think it's time to put the past behind us, right Arnold?"

Arnold nodded, glancing at Helga. "It's entirely up to you. I'm not forcing you to be open with others about our relationship, and I'm definitely not asking for you to stop picking on me; though that would be nice. I know from solving problems that changing a habit that's so deeply embedded in you isn't easy, but I'm willing to be there for you no matter what. I'm willing to help you change if you want me to."

She turned away. "You just _don't_ understand what it's like, do you, Arnold?"

Arnold looked surprised and curiously said, "What do you mean, Helga?"

"You may _think_ you understand how it feels to turn against a certain way, but you _don't._ You're _Mr. Perfect._ Mr. _Goodie-two-shoes_. Mr. _Do The Right Thing_ , and unless you've struggled with an addiction or a problem, you can't _possibly_ understand how hard it is to change. I've been bullying and ridiculing others all the time for 8 years, not exactly easy to flip a switch overnight. And believe me, I've tried."

He paused a moment. "I've never thought of it like that, but Helga, even though I've never been through an addiction, I've had plenty of problems in my life. I could surely help you if you needed it-"

"Correction, paste for brains, you've _solved_ a lot of problems in your life, not _had_ a lot. There's a big difference. You _can't_ help me."

Arnold was discouraged, but he continued. "Well... even if for some reason you never change your bullying ways, I still want to date you. You have such deep feelings for me, and I want to give us a try."

" _Why_ , Arnold? It's obvious you don't love me like I love you," she admitted sadly.

"Give it time, Helga. Just because I can't say it doesn't mean it's not there. I need you to be patient with me speaking the words, just like I'm being patient with you showing the way you feel for me. I do care for you a lot, and I only want what's best for us. I want to make sure I'm _in_ love with you before saying it. I don't want to ruin this. Do you understand what I mean?"

Helga nodded. "Hate to say it, but your twisted words of optimism actually make some sense."

Gerald held out his hand to Helga. "So what do you say, friends, Helga?"

Helga shrugged as she reached to take his hand. "Ah, why not? I might enjoy hanging out with you chuckle-heads, but just because were friends doesn't give you an excuse to treat me any differently, got it?"

Gerald rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't _dream_ of it, Pataki. So, what are you guys doing this weekend?"

* * *

It was 7 PM when Helga got back to the Beeper Emporium. Arnold insisted on walking with her, but she told him she needed time to herself to think about things. It wasn't an excuse this time; she _really_ had a lot on her mind since Olga moved in with her boyfriend in Hillwood to stay. At least once a week she saw her older sister at the Beeper Emporium, and _that_ was the reason she missed the bus that morning. Any time Olga could bond with Helga, she tried. It was ridiculous...

Helga opened the door to the Beeper Emporium and noticed a lot was different from that morning. There was no tables or furniture. The only thing that was left was her father's luggage, and a couple dozen cardboard boxes full of beepers. It didn't make any sense. Were they _robbed?_ Than again, wouldn't a robber take everything and not just the furniture?

Where _was_ everyone...

There was a knock on the door, and Big Bob came out of his bedroom downstairs. "Finally, it's about stinkin' time they arrived. Been waiting all day for this buyout to go through."

Helga spoke up. "Dad, what are you talking about?"

"Pipe down, kid, can't you see I'm trying to run a business here?"

Helga's eyes widened. "What _business?_ Where's all our stuff?! Where's the furniture?!" She ran across the Beeper Emporium to her Arnold closet and room to check if everything was still there, and it was _gone._ _Everything._ The tapes. Her Shrine. Her Love Box. Even her _bed._ Miriam must have been on a smoothie kick and threw out her stuff, _again._

She let out an ear-piercing scream before running back to the front door.

Big Bob answered the door, and behind it was a business man with short brown hair and glasses. Bob said, "Hey, are you here for the buyout? I hope you brought your checkbook."

"Yes, Bob Pataki. I'm ready to take all those beepers off your hands. All you need to do is sign over your business to me and I'll hand over the check. You have the original contract, right?"

Bob handed him an envelope. "Yep, everything should be in the envelope. Now, this isn't going to cost me anything, right?"

The businessman shook his head as he looked at the contract and passed him a clipboard with a paper on it. "No, of course not. Once you sign over the contract, your emporium and all your merchandise are officially mine."

"Perfect. Good thing Olga and I can move in with my Uncle Jack in Oregon. I knew that lousy man would be useful for something."

Helga watched the contract to her _"_ _home"_ officially being signed away. "Bob, what are you _doing_?! We can't just move to Oregon and live with your uncle?!" All she could think about was losing the few friends she'd known her whole life, plus her new boyfriend, Arnold. She would never see him _again_!

Big Bob turned to her after signing the contract, and the business man walked in with a couple guys to grab the remaining boxes. Bob spoke, "Sure we can. The moving van has already come over to pick up all our stuff."

"But dad, what about my friends, what about my _school_?!"

"Quit your worrying, Olga. You can make new friends at your new school in Oregon."

Helga scowled and crossed her arms. She should've figured he wouldn't care about her opinion whatsoever. "It's _Helga_ , Dad, and _I'm not going_!"

All of a sudden, Olga ran in the house in hysterics. "Daddy, they're keeping her!"

"Well _good riddance!_ She can stay in Hillwood then. That woman has done nothing but waste my money on smoothies and lounge around here while I work 7 days a week."

Helga spoke up softly as she realized she had yet to see her Mom that evening. "Are you talking about Mom? Olga, where is Miriam?"

Olga burst down in tears and fell on her knees, remembering what happened earlier. "Helga, it was _awful!_ I was right in front of her when she just... _collapsed!_ I just... watched her body become lifeless right in front of me!"

" _What_?! Why did she collapse?!"

Bob scowled. "It's because of those blasted smoothies. If I'm starting fresh, I might as well leave the light-weight behind. She's done nothing but hinder my business plans."

Helga was scared now, remembering how bad Bob's temper was. "Wait a minute, so not only are we moving to Oregon, but were _not_ taking Miriam?" _'I can't live with Dad without Mom! He'll have nobody else to take out his aggression on! He'll yell at me all the time, he'll hurt me! He'll...'_ Her body shook in fear at her thoughts. She couldn't even _think_ about it.

Olga tried to reason with him. "Daddy, you can't just leave your wife behind! She's _sick_ _!_ "

Bob thought a moment. "Hmm, you're right. I'll cash this and stay at a hotel tonight. In the morning before Uncle Jack comes to get me and the girl, I'll go to the courthouse. It's about stinkin' time I got a divorce from her!"

Helga was scared. "Where's Mom going to live?!"

"They'll probably put her in one of those treatment facilities, knowing the state's choices. If not, they have homeless shelters she can stay at. Let her be someone else's responsibility for a change."

Olga cried even more as Helga just stared at her father in total shock. Helga said aloud, "This _can't_ be happening. This _isn't_ happening. I'm _not_ moving to Oregon without Miriam!"

"Well, too bad, little lady, 'cause all of your stuff is already moved out and the car's sold. There's our cab. Come on Olga, let's go."

Helga stood her ground. "I'm... not... leaving."

"Daddy, let her stay with _me_! I don't want to lose _both_ of you. Let her stay with my fiancé and I across town."

"Whatever. Olga, I'll give you a call." He shut the door, and that was the last time Helga saw her dad.

She looked at Olga and put her hand up. "Not _no_ way, not _no_ how. I will _not_ move in with you. I will _not_ stay with your fiancé. You've barely known him a month anyway; how the _heck_ are you getting married already?!"

Olga wiped her eyes from crying. "He's a really dreamy guy with a nice job, Helga. He told me he would take good care of me."

"Like Doug, right?" _'I swear, she is so naive.'_

"No, Helga. This guy is completely different. He's an architect, and a sales person. He works over 40 hours a week, and is just perfect!"

Helga crossed her arms. _'Might as well be honest with her.'_ "I don't know him, and I don't _want_ to know you."

"But Helga, where will you stay at?!" Olga started crying again, and hugged Helga tightly. "I don't want to lose my baby sister...!"

"Stop the water works already, Criminy." She pushed Olga away and took her hand to lead her to the door. She was not comfortable in Olga's tight grip or even with her presence. "I'll talk to Phoebs tonight, okay? Nothing to worry about. I'm sure she'll be able to give me a place to stay. Now move along, go back to your _perfect_ life." ' _Anything's better than living with Mrs. Mary Sunshine. I got to get the heck out of here and quick.'_

Olga wiped her eyes of the fresh tears. "Are you sure, Helga? I don't want to just leave if you have nowhere to stay."

Helga nodded. "Positive. Now quit worrying about me and go!' she slammed the door in her sisters face. She blinked all of a sudden at another thought. What about her _Arnold tapes?_ Did they take _those_. She ran down to the basement and sighed in relief when she saw everything was still there. She sighed. "First things first, deadlock this basement then go to Phoebe's. Simple."

* * *

Phoebe was talking to Helga at her doorstep. It was nine at night. "That's _terrible_ Helga! So, your Mother is in the hospital, and your father just left for Oregon without her or you?"

"Well, Bob told me _I_ was going, but I'm not leaving my friends and Miriam behind. Hillwood is all I've ever known!"

Phoebe paused a moment. "I understand, but you could always make new friends there, and we could've kept in touch through internet or cellphone."

"Phoebe, what don't you understand here? It's not just because I don't want to leave, it's also because I can't _live_ with Bob. Without Miriam, he's _completely_ different."

"Well, how so?"

Helga rubbed her arm nervously. That was one thing she never told Phoebe and never wanted to tell her. The last thing she wanted to think about was being hit when she was three. Back than, Miriam had a full **-** time job and wasn't into drinking. Big Bob would have mood swings and take his anger out on her instead. Once he became a business man and Miriam quit work, the abuse stopped. Although Miriam never made her lunch and was out of it half the time, at least she never _hit_ her. But what would stop Bob from reverting to his old ways without a job to occupy him, and Miriam to yell at? She didn't want to talk about it, and she didn't want to worry Phoebe. It was in the past, after all. "He's just... well, he's not the same person!"

Phoebe felt awful for Helga. She could tell something was wrong, but didn't want to pry. "Okay, Helga. I can see you're really upset about things, and I don't object to you moving in and staying in my room with me forever, but we'll have to talk with my parents in the morning and see what they say about you staying here permanently. I'm sure they would be fine with it at least temporarily, and it would give you the time to work things out with your family. I'm terribly sorry for all your going through, Helga. Nobody should have a broken family."

Helga smiled as Phoebe held the door open for her and she walked in. She was grateful. Phoebe would be her _best friend_ forever. She would be living there and have a home. For the first time in her life, she would have _a 'home'._ Not only a place to live, but a place she belonged. "Thanks, Phoebs. You're the best. Don't _ever_ forget that."


	3. Chapter 3: Arnold and Helga's Breakup

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. This chapter is **K+** for conflict and drama. Enjoy!

* * *

 **HumanDictionary** : He's gotten more uncaring since the Jungle Movie as well. Thanks for the review.  
 **The J.A.M** : Thank you I enjoy listening to music, it inspires me to write. Thanks for the review.  
 **YaliPage** : Thank you! Thanks for the review.  
 **Starfiction123** : Write the story! I'd love to read it! Believe me, if I'm going to write what I'm going to write in later chapters, trust me you can do it lol. Sometimes the best stories are the ones that shake the fandom up. I actually have a story I wanted to write about Gerald encouraging Helga to be open with the class about her love for Arnold, takes place during the jungle movie, so that's also where I got the idea Gerald and Helga would start being friends afterward. Thank you for the review.  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro** : Wow, I haven't seen your name for awhile. If you like drama, then you'll love this chapter, and don't worry, I've got a lot planned for Arnold and Helga. That thought did not escape my mind at all. Thank you for the review.  
 **Guest** : I'm not sure of your name, but I wanted to thank you for reading and thanks for your review.  
 **EJ** : Unfortunately, it's going to get worse before it gets better, but it _will_ get better. Thanks for your review.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Arnold and Helga's Breakup**

 ** _October 14th: Helga and Phoebe, Phoebe's Room..._**

Helga was laying on Phoebe's bed, working on math homework. "So, Phoebs. How the _heck_ do you do this algebra so easily?"

Phoebe was sitting down beside her. She glanced over. "Simple. Do you have the order of operations written down?"

Helga sighed. "Yup. Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally."

"So first, you do all the parenthesis, then your exponents, then multiply, divide, add, and subtract."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get that, but how do you solve the exponents?" she drummed her pencil against her math book repeatedly.

"You don't understand what Mr. Frank taught us?"

"Math isn't my strong subject," she admitted.

Phoebe leaned over to help her. "Okay, it's the greater number times itself, and the number of times is the smaller number. For instance, on problem number 10, it's (2 x 4 + 1) to the end power of 2. You first do what's in the parenthesis, because that's first in the order of operations, then the multiplication, which i that equals 8, then 8 + 1 equals 9. Once you have 9, you can now times it to the 2nd power, which is 81. Simple."

Helga smiled as she scribbled in the answer, and then started speeding through the rest of the homework. "Heh, wonders never cease. Thanks Phoebs, I'll be acing all my classes living here."

"You're welcome, Helga."

Phoebe's mother knocked softly on the door. "Phoebe, Helga, is it alright if I come in a moment?"

Phoebe replied. "Certainly, Mother. We're just doing algebra."

Reba Heyerdahl walked in. "Would it be all right if Kyo and I spoke with you both for a moment in the kitchen?"

The two best friends exchanged curious glances and shrugged.

* * *

Kyo, Reba, Phoebe, and Helga sat down at the table in the kitchen. Reba exchanged glances with her husband before starting her conversation. She sighed. "Phoebe, I'm proud of you for stepping up and being responsible enough to let Helga share your room while she's going through a rough time. Helga, if Kyo and I could, I'd have no problem with you staying here forever with us."

"Yes, Anata no hokori ni omotte Imu, Phoebe." Kyo sighed. "Unfortunately, my company lost a contract to another store in the past week, and your Mother and I are a bit short financially. Helga, do you have any relatives that are still living in Hillwood? I know you told us last week that your Mother is in a treatment center, so that's out of the question."

Helga blinked, thinking to herself. _What... but, but I thought I could stay here! They told me a week ago I could stay! They've treated me just like family! I... I can't tell them about Olga being in Hillwood; I'm not moving there!_

Phoebe thought a moment, not thinking before she spoke. "Well, there is Helga's sister, Olga Pataki, though she lives across town."

"Phoebe!" Helga panicked. "I _can't_ move in there, you _know_ how Olga is! Why would you _even_ bring her up?" _Stupid Phoebe and her stupid naive ways. Why does she have to tell her parents about_ _everything_ _!_

Reba was concerned now. "Is she abusive or neglectful like your parents? Are you in harm's way staying with Olga?"

Helga paused a moment. "No... but she's _annoying_ , and _perfect_ , and only thinks about _herself!_ "

Reba nodded, patting Helga's shoulder. "I know this is very hard for you, Helga, but sometimes you may have to temporarily be a part of a situation that's not ideal for you in order to have a place to stay. I want what's best for you, and staying with family is always the best choice."

Helga's eyes widened. They couldn't be _serious._ "But...!"

Reba continued. "If Olga is like your parents are, I wouldn't want you to move in with her, and I'd like you to talk to me about it. From what I understand, your mother has some severe alcohol problems she needs to work out, and I don't want you to be in the middle of it. I can also understand why you didn't want to live with your father. From what Phoebe told me, he sounds very self-centered and aggressive, and you don't need that in your life right now. I don't know exactly why you wouldn't want to have a place to stay with your sister. She may be on the other side of town and you two may not get along, but you would still be able to go to P.S. 118. Plus, she cares for you if she's previously offered you a place before coming here."

Kyo nodded. "Family is more important than anything. I know you may not understand it now, Helga, but these precious years of yours, you will never be able to get back, and I think it would be a splendid idea for you to keep in close touch with a blood relative."

Helga scowled. "Listen here, you both don't _know_ Olga. She's overbearing _and_ ruthless, she's self-centered and _impossible_ to live with! I can't _possibly_ stay with her!"

Reba continued speaking. "Helga, we would gladly allow you to stay here if we knew we could afford it, unfortunately, we're unsure right now with Kyo's rocky job situation in this dying economy. I may not know her personally, but your sister sounds like a wonderful opportunity to remain a part of the small family you have left. It would also give you an chance to get to know your sister better, maybe to bond with her."

 _Bonding?! With Olga?! They can't be serious! This... this has got to be a nightmare, this can't be happening!_ Helga completely ignored the question Reba asked, and replied in a panic. "I... I can get a job and _help_ you! You don't have to throw me out! I don't have to live with Olga!"

Kyo and Reba exchanged a sad glance at one another. Reba said. "We're not throwing you out, darling, and we definately don't want you to help us out with money. Quite the contrary, were giving you another 3 weeks here to decide what you want to do."

Kyo spoke. "I would rather see you with family, but if Olga is really as bad as you say, I don't want you to suffer in an abusive or neglectful situation. If you're afraid to leave after a month of staying here, we don't want you homeless and will have no choice but to contact Family Services. At least there you will have the chance at a family that will love you; that will have the financial and relational ability to care for you in ways that we cannot."

Reba smiled at her husband. "Thank you for explaining that, honey. Now, Helga, you know if you need to talk about anything, one of us is always here. Mr. Heyerdahl or myself."

Helga's thoughts were going a mile a minute, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Phoebe's family had been nothing but kind to her since she stepped foot in their house. They have tried to help her more than her own parents ever did. Olga wasn't abusive, neglectful or bad tempered, she was just annoying and happy all the time, but that wouldn't be good enough for them, and she knew it now. She was going to be _forced_ to stay with Olga, whether she liked it or not, and it was all because of...

* * *

 ** _Later... in Phoebe's room..._**

"What the _heck_ is wrong with you, Phoebe? I could've stayed _here!_ Why'd you have to go and blab to your parents about _Ol-ga_. You _know_ I can't live with her. She's going to drive me insane!" She already felt like pulling her hair out, and she wasn't even living there yet.

Phoebe sighed. "Helga, when you moved in, I told you it was up to my parents whether you could stay, not me-"

"-But, you had no reason to bring up Olga living in Hillwood again! You could've lied and told them she was still in Alaska! It's almost like you _want_ me to be homeless or in foster care!"

Phoebe was getting frustrated. "I don't want you to be homeless, and _that's_ why I brought Olga up, as an alternative place for you to stay. I can't help it if my parents can't afford another person living here, at least they were kind enough to give you a month and options."

" _Options?_ What, between Olga and Foster Care? _I'm_ supposed to decide what to do in a month's time? Phoebe, I thought you were my _best friend_ , I thought my well-being mattered to you, but apparently it doesn't. If you were my best friend, you would at least know what's _best_ for me-"

"-Helga, don't let this quarrel come between our friendship. Olga isn't perfect, but she has a place for you to live. Now, I didn't mean to upset you, but I didn't want you to be homeless in case worse comes to worse."

Helga paced around in panic. "I think you guys just _want_ me to go to Foster Care and be stuck there 'til I'm 18, cleaning bathrooms and mopping floors! Do you even _know_ the horror stories Foster Care carries with it? I was almost put in there years ago, and it only took a couple books about it to convince me that I _never_ wanted to be there. You don't know what it's like when they put you in the system, _do you?!_ Everything you've ever had before is taken away from you! You're treated like a worm, a _slave...!_ "

"Listen, Helga. The reason I mentioned Olga is because it's a possibility over homelessness."

Helga rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking at Phoebe. She spoke harshly. "I'd rather be homeless."

"Certainly you're not _serious!_ " Phoebe exasperated.

"Yes, Phoebe. I _am_ serious! Now, do what you gotta do and _leave me alone!_ " Helga walked away, over to her mattress on the floor.

Phoebe blinked. "Helga, don't shut me out! We've been best friends since we were three-"

"-Now why on _earth_ would I shut you out? Why would living with Olga bother me _that_ much? Hmm, let me _think_ about those questions for a second. Oh, I don't know, maybe because _I HATE HER!_ " Helga screamed at her and watched Phoebe flinch a moment in fear, then she laid down and covered herself up completely, drowning herself out of the world for a little while.

Phoebe looked away sadly, not knowing what to say. She walked out of the room silently, leaving Helga to her thoughts and giving her space.

* * *

 ** _October 28th... Arnold and Gerald: in class..._**

Gerald was talking to Arnold at his desk before their first class began. "So Arnold... Phoebe and I are headed to the movies this weekend. I was wondering if you and Helga wanted to double date with us."

Arnold thought for a moment, and replied. "I don't know, Gerald. I mean, I would like to double date, but Helga hasn't really said anything to me since we started dating three weeks ago."

Gerald shook his head. "Mmm, mmm, mmm. You sure do know how to pick 'em, buddy. I thought you told me that Helga was in love with you."

Arnold nodded. "Yes, she's in love with me."

Gerald thought a moment. "Right... Are you _sure_ about that? Love is such a _strong_ word for a 6th grader to throw around lightly. And anyway, who's to say her feelings for you aren't temporary? At this age, she's liable to just be dating you as a trail period and then moving onto someone else."

"But... even _you_ saw all the videos she had of me. You told me her room was full of them! I don't think she would do all of that if she didn't care."

"Oh, I never said she didn't care, I just said it might be a _phase_ she's going through; her obsession with you. I mean, think about it, she hated you a couple years ago."

"I don't think she hated me then..."

"Look, all I'm saying is women are funny like that. Hate you one minute, love you the next."

Arnold paused a moment before speaking. "Do you really think that Helga hates me again? Is Phoebe like that too?"

"Phoebe's pretty normal so far, but I'm pretty sure I'll be questioning her sanity in a couple years just like the rest of them."

"That's not a very nice thing to say about your girlfriend."

"It's the _female species_ , Arnold. Completely normal for them to be abnormal. Trust me, I've seen enough from Jamie-o's past girlfriends to know that. Anyway, are you going to ask her? If Helga says yes, I can finally break the news to Phoebe about you guys going out."

Arnold was shocked. "Wait a minute, you haven't told Phoebe yet that Helga and I are dating?"

Gerald shrugged. "Hey, as much as I want to be friends with Helga, I also fear her. I don't need to go telling her secrets to her best friend. Anyway, If they're really that close, Helga's already told her."

Arnold sighed as he turned around in his seat to look at the two females. They weren't talking to each other. "I don't know about that, Gerald. Helga and Phoebe haven't been talking a lot the last couple weeks."

"That's in _school_ , Arnold. Phoebe's probably been busy studying. She's only been at my house a couple times in the last few weeks, and you know she gets straight A's in every class, so she's gotta keep up with those grades."

"I guess, but what about Helga? Do you really think I'm just a _phase_ to her?"

Gerald shrugged. "Only one way to find out: Go talk to her today. We can all catch up at the theater, maybe grab a bite to eat afterwards."

"You know what? That sounds like a good idea. I'll talk with her at lunch time about it."

* * *

 ** _Later that day... in the Cafeteria..._**

Arnold walked over to Helga. She was sitting by herself at one of the lunch tables. He sat down beside her and started a conversation. "Hey Helga, how come you're not sitting with Phoebe?"

She tried to ignore him as she turned away from him and put her hand on her chin. She had way too much on her mind to concentrate on what he wanted to tell her. "Maybe because I don't _feel_ like it. It's a free country, I can sit by myself if I want to."

Her avoidance and turning away from him was already making him worry about her. Was something wrong? "Did something happen between you and Phoebe? I noticed you both haven't spoken to each other in over a week."

"So, what's your point?" She crossed her arms, still refusing to tell him anything that was going on with her and Phoebe, not to mention that she was _living_ with her. She would soon be living with Olga. He didn't need to know she wasn't at the Beeper Emporium. He didn't need to get involved in her life and concern himself with _any_ of her problems.

He rubbed his arm nervously. All he wanted to do was help his girlfriend, but he had no clue what to say or how to help her out. More than anything, he needed to know what was going on. "I don't know, Helga. I just wanted to make sure everything's okay, that's all. I mean, you both have been best friends as long as me and Gerald have."

"Whatever. Did you just come over to waste my time, or do you actually have something _important_ to say?" _Please Arnold, don't get involved in my life. You don't need all this stress!_

He cleared his throat nervously. " Actually, yes. I did have something important to ask you. Gerald was talking with me earlier about going on a date this weekend with Phoebe, and I was wondering if you wanted us to go with them."

 _Double date with Phoebe? Like I ever want to talk to her again after what she said to her parents. It's bad enough I'm stuck with the tattletale for another week at her house._ "Sheesh, like I _really_ want to hang around with Miss. Nerd face and Hair Boy, not to mention _you_ , football head!"

Arnold remembered what Gerald told him earlier and started to grow more concerned about his relationship with Helga. In nervousness, he asked questions. "Huh? What did I do? What are you talking about? Aren't we dating?"

 _Can't he see I don't want to talk! What's his deal?!_ "What's _wrong_ with you?! Why do you always have to get involved in everyone's business? Why do you have to be so _persistent_ with all your stinkin' questions? Can't you just leave well enough alone sometimes and focus on your own life?! It would probably do you a _world_ of good to focus on yourself for a change!"

He blinked at her aggression. His palms were sweating, his hands were shaking. He was more than worried. It only gave him _more_ reasons to persist, to find out what was bothering his girlfriend. He was also wondering if she was going to _breakup_ with him. Was Gerald actually _right?_ " Helga, I'm not trying to intrude, but something is obviously wrong and I want to help you out. Please don't shut me out. I really thought we were past this _phase_ in our relationship. I thought you decided to turn over a new leaf, you told Gerald three weeks ago that you wanted to put the past behind you...!"

Arnold and Helga failed to notice, but they were starting to gather a lot of attention in the cafeteria. Most of the students had noticed the argument between them, and were watching everything they said...

 _You want to..._ _Help me out_ _? Criminy, this is what I've been trying to avoid! You have_ _no_ _rooms at the boarding house, and you want to_ _help me_ _?! That's the_ _last_ _thing I want you to do! If I can barely handle this, I don't expect_ _you_ _to, either!_ She had to change the subject. "Oh, that's rich, that's priceless! Do you know how you sound right now, Arnold? Like you would know the first thing to do to help me with my _problems_. For crying out loud, you don't need to help me! I've got my own life to live and you've got yours, quit trying to take my responsibility on yourself! I don't want you in my life!" she failed to think about how her last sentence sounded, too overwhelmed with anger towards everything going on.

Arnold shook at her words and took a deep breath to reply to her. " but... you matter to _me!_ Everything about you matters to me! You're my _girlfriend!_ Your life is always going to intertwine with mine now! I thought I mattered to you too..."

It was then Helga noticed a crowd watching them from behind where Arnold stood. What would she say next? How much had they heard? Now, not only was _Arnold_ trying to get involved in her business, but _the whole school_ would know she was in love with him! She couldn't have it! She wasn't ready for it! Not with everything going on right now...

She replied, almost routinely. "Who said I _ever_ cared about _you?_ You're just a nosy, do goodie, persistent, no good stupid little football head! Always butting in other people's business and constantly ' _doing the right thing'_. You know what? Until you learn how to stop being so nosy, don't talk to me! My life is _never_ going to be an open book to you, and there is _nothing_ you need to do to fix it!"

Arnold stepped back a moment in shock. "I don't want to be assuming anything, but... but this is _seriously_ sounding like... You don't want nothing to do with me anymore. That it's over between us now."

 _Please, football head. Leave me alone! Don't you see the crowd?! Don't make me say it!_ She continued to play her role. "Oh it's over, Arnold! Stay out of my life! Stay out of my business! And _stop_ trying to solve all my problems!" She started to walk out of the lunchroom, but before leaving she turned to look at him one last time. "and don't even _think_ about following me!" She pushed the door open and walked out of the cafeteria.

The silence in the lunchroom became noise again, and the breath everyone was holding was let out. There started to be communication in the cafeteria again between the students.

After she exited the cafeteria, she leaned against the wall beside it, and pulled out her broken locket. Taking a deep breath, she said. "Arnold my love, what's _wrong_ with me? Just like my locket, I keep breaking you down, again and again. Please, my flaxen-haired angel, see past my rough exterior and into my pure heart. I would _never_ hurt you willingly, which is _exactly_ why you can't get involved in my living situation. Besides, if I _do_ decide not to live with Olga, you'll report me homeless so that I have a place to stay, and I'll be taken away from you forever! Arnold, what I'm doing is not against you, it's _for_ you. _Please_ see that." Soon, she heard breathing in front of her. It started to get louder as she listened to it. She already knew who it was, and wasn't in the mood to deal with it, _at all!_ She raised an eyebrow as she put away her locket to come face to face with... Brainy. She growled, punching him in the face. He collapsed in front of her as she walked away.

Then, the bell rang to signal class.

Everyone that was in the cafeteria began to throw away their trash and walk out. Gerald walked over to Arnold, who looked kind of sick. He didn't move at all. " I'm sorry Arnold, I heard the whole thing from across the cafeteria."

Arnold was shaking, he was so upset he could hardly think straight. Was she _really_ over him already? She told him that she _loved_ him... Was she _lying_ the whole time they were in San Lorenzo!? " I don't... I don't understand it. I thought she... thought she loved me." _Why don't you care about me anymore, Helga? What did I do to cause you to hate me again?_

" I told you Arnold, people change. Maybe she _did_ love you once, but now she doesn't. Man, I'm really sorry about all this. For the life of me, I will _never_ understand that girl."

He sighed as they walked out together. " I just can't believe it's over already... After only 3 weeks."

Gerald tried to lighten the mood. "That should be the _least_ of your worries right now. Rhonda and Nadine heard everything that was said, not to mention the whole cafeteria was watching your argument. You know how Rhonda is, a couple days from now she's liable to have new rumors going around about you two, breaking up _twice!_ "

Arnold could hardly think about the rumors, the only thing on his mind right now was his broken heart. He was just starting to develop deep feelings for the girl, and she tore him to pieces, like she always did. He really thought his life and his feelings mattered to her, but apparently they didn't. His best friend was right the whole time... It was all a _phase_. Her love, her obsession, everything! He felt like crying, but he knew he needed to concentrate on his classes for the rest of the day, so he held it back. He knew he needed to somehow forget the girl, but how could he forget somebody he knew his whole life? How could she even brush him off like that so easily, like he didn't exist to her anymore?

Gerald looked at him a moment, noticing his silence and sadness. They both stopped walking. "Are you okay, Arno...Hey now, it will be all right. There's more girls out there besides Helga, right?" He put his arm over his shoulders, reassuringly.

Arnold blinked back tears and with a shaky voice replied. "Yeah, I know that, I just... really thought she was _the one_..."

"I know, Arnold, but the best thing to do right now is forget about her. At least for your sanity, you need to let go of this."

Arnold sighed. "I know, you're right."

But how could he _possibly_ let go of all the memories he had of Helga G Pataki?

* * *

 **AN:**

 _Footnote: Anata no hokori ni omotte Imu, according to Google means "I am proud of you" in Japanese. No, I do not know Japanese, so if that's wrong let me know so I can fix it._


	4. Chapter 4: Being The Adult Again

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. This chapter is **K+** for conflict and drama. Enjoy!

* * *

 _The Jam_ : I sure the heck hope he does as many times as Helga punches him. Thanks for the review.  
 _Yali Page_ : After your review, I decided to look over the last chapter to make sure Helga was in character. She is... but she's a bit more harsh with everything she's going through affecting her. She _does_ make up with Phoebe in this chapter, but it's still sad the way she does it. Thanks for your review.  
 _Starfiction123_ : I read some of your story, but I have to finish it later. I do like it, and see why you think it's a bit of a risk your taking already, but you're doing a good job with it. :) She definately sucks up to Phoebe in this chapter, and there's a lot more drama, but not as bad as the last chapter. Thanks for your review.  
 _Acosta_ : I wish she would make it easy, but than I wouldn't have much of a story. At least they _do_ eventually make up. Thanks for your review.  
 _Guest_ : Glad to hear my story touched you. Thanks for the review.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Being The Adult Again**

 **October 28th, Afternoon...**

Arnold walked home by himself. After the rough day at school he had, he didn't want to talk to anybody. He held the door open for the boarding house pets to run out. Grandma had some new ones after the trip to San Lorenzo, namely; her little bat named "Baty" and her pet snake that hung out upstairs. The women was crazy, no doubt. It was a miracle he was still normal after being raised by her. A bunch of dogs and cats came running out first, followed by "Baty", a purple butterfly, and a squirrel. He didn't understand why his Grandma decided to keep some of these animals, but some things weren't explainable, so he never asked.

Phil greeted him at the door. "Hey there, Shortman. How was school?"

Arnold sighed. He was too upset to talk and just wanted to be by himself. "It was okay. Listen, I'm really tired tonight. I'm just going to head up to bed. Goodnight, Grandpa."

"You sure you don't want to eat something first? Your Mom and Dad are making pot roast tonight. Mmm, so good."

Arnold didn't even glance back. "No, thanks."

Phil scratched his head as Miles and Stella walked out of the kitchen. Phil said, "Odd. He usually doesn't go to bed until at least eight."

Miles asked, "Dad, do you think something's wrong?"

Stella replied. "Should we go up and talk to him?"

Before Phil could reply, Gertie walked in wearing blue jeans, a blue top, and an air horn in her hands. "Boycott the overdue renters! Heap upon them interest on interest!"

Phil took the air horn away from her. "No, _Pookie_ , were not ordering the boarders to pay us extra, now get out of the family room!"

Gertie laughed hysterically as she ran into the kitchen.

"Crazy ol' bat," Phil scratched his chin a moment and smiled as he thought of an idea. "Check on Arnold for me, I'll take care of the pot roast." _Maybe sample it... mmm...it smells so good_. He walked into the kitchen, and it wasn't long before he hollered, "Pookie, _get out of the kitchen_ , and get your hands off that pot roast!"

Stella and Miles looked at each other, more worried about Arnold than the food they were making. Stella grabbed Miles' hand nervously. "I hope we can help him," she said.

* * *

Arnold was laying down, facing the wall away from the door when he heard a knock. He sighed, "Come in."

Stella and Miles walked into Arnold's room. Miles said, "What's wrong, ol' sport? Your grandpa told us you seemed upset."

Stella walked over to her son. "Anything we can do to help? You know, if you're going through a problem, you can always talk to us, Arnold."

Arnold turned around to look at his parents. He knew he had his parents back to help him through life, but didn't bring Helga up because he knew they wouldn't understand it. First of all, they didn't know the first thing about her, only assumed she was a nice, sweet girl who cared for him and saved their lives. Also, they only saw Helga and him kissing, not her bullying him for the eight years prior to San Lorenzo. They didn't know him and his ex's history, but maybe right now was the perfect time to explain it to them. He sat up on his bed as his parents walked over to sit down on it, each on either side of him. "Remember the girl who used her locket of me to save your lives this summer?"

Miles smiled. "Oh, you mean that sweet girl with the one eyebrow? What was her name, Stella?"

"I think it was Helga. We talked a bit on the plane ride back. Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy for you to have a friend like her. She's very smart, and seems like she cares for you very much."

Arnold rubbed one of his arms nervously. _This_ was what he didn't want to get into. "Well... she _is_ a very nice person deep down, but she's also the class bully."

Miles was shocked. "Class bully. You never told us that."

"Well, I didn't want to explain our history before San Lorenzo; it's a little complicated." He sighed, bracing himself to tell the story of his ex. "Helga has been picking on me since I met her when we were three. She became a bully around that time, and started bossing the other kids around too."

Stella blinked. "Wow. I didn't know any of this..."

Arnold looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to put her down after all she did for us, so I didn't tell you both. I always knew there was more to her than her bossy attitude and her teasing, but I didn't get to see another side to her until we went on the trip to San Lorenzo. She won the contest for me so that I could find you guys, but I ended up getting the class stranded and caught by La Sombra during the trip, and the whole class left me."

Miles said, "La Sombra? You mean _THE_ La Sombra?"

Stella replied, "Certainly from the stories your Grandpa told you, you _knew_ he was evil."

Arnold nodded. "I _did_ know he was not a good person, but I thought for sure he was your old friend, _Eduardo._ _That's_ why I trusted him. He wore a fake mustache. He disguised himself and fooled _everyone_ of us," he looked down and whispered sadly, "Especially me, I told him everything about you guys. I told him I was trying to find you. I thought with him being Eduardo that he would know where you were. In the process, I didn't think about how I could've been endangering my whole class."

Stella hugged her son. "Oh, Arnold."

Miles stared for a moment. "If you were caught by the very evil of _La Sombra_ , how did you escape? Usually nobody can make it out of his evil grip."

Arnold looked into his dad's eyes as his mother let go of him from the hug. "Helga encouraged the class not to give up on me, and ran over to my best friend and her best friend to form some sort of plan to get me out of there. _Everyone_ was mad at me at the time, but Helga pushed through her anger to encourage everyone to help me, and to sneak me out. Once we escaped, she then helped me and my best friend, Gerald, find you guys."

Stella was surprised. "Wow... that's very amiable of her."

"What else happened, son? You said you escaped La Sombra and went through the jungle to find us?"

"Yeah," he sighed, not wanting to remember certain events from a couple months ago, but he knew he needed them to understand everything that happened. "Well, Helga knew how to get through traps and open doors. If it weren't for her decisions, we probably wouldn't have gotten to the Green Eyed People. Unfortunately, La Sombra gave me something that I didn't know at the time was a tracking device, and he found the Green Eyed People's hideout, and El Corazon." He swallowed nervously. "He... he took me for ransom since I had El Corazon."

Miles angrily commented with his fists tightened. "That man laid his hands on you!"

Stella was speechless as Arnold took a deep breath to continue, "It's _okay_ , I'm safe and alive now, so you don't have to worry. At the time, we made our way across a bridge before it fell down, and La Sombra eventually went over the cliff after stealing El Corazon. Gerald and Helga almost went over the bridge too when they went after him to save me, and I had to try and save them."

Stella looked nervous as she grabbed her son's hand. "What happened?"

Arnold closed his eyes a moment and took another breath he didn't realize he was holding. "I... reached for Gerald's hand first, but Helga reached to hold on to Gerald and I couldn't handle the weight of the both of them together, and fell down. We were minutes from death and barely hanging on, and when I saw Helga, I remembered everything she'd done to help me, but also remembered that I never told her how I felt about her. I realized she meant a lot to me, but there was nothing I could do about it then." Arnold wiped his eyes a moment, before looking at his parents. Just remembering Helga and Gerald almost dying right in front of him was enough to make his eyes water.

Miles pat his shoulder softly and repeated similar words that Arnold said to them earlier. "It's _okay_ , Arnold. You're here now, _were_ here."

Arnold nodded, but still look pretty upset. "Eduardo was actually the one that saved us, the _real Eduardo_ , and Helga suggested we go back to the Green Eyed People even though we no longer had El Corazon. I found out just how sacred it was when we got back, and that it was needed to wake you guys up from the sleeping sickness. I was _so_ upset, thought for sure that was it... until Helga showed me her locket, and wanted to try and use that as a substitute for El Corazon, and it _worked._ "

Stella smiled sadly, tears running down her eyes now. "That was a beautiful story, sweetie."

Arnold looked away.

Miles said, "That still doesn't explain why you were upset earlier, Arnold."

Arnold clamped his hands together, "After everything that happened, Helga and I talked... and kissed, and then I knew I needed to figure out what kind of relationship I wanted to have with her. For the last few months, I caught up with you guys, but also thought in the back of my mind about Helga, and wondered if she really _wanted_ a couple-type of relationship with me, let alone if she was even ready to have one. I asked her out about three weeks ago, but since that night, she refused to talk to me. Then, today at lunch, I tried to ask her out on a date again, and she rejected the offer and told me not to get involved in her life anymore." He closed his eyes as he replied. "Mom, Dad, she broke up with me, and I don't know why. A couple months ago in San Lorenzo, she told me she _loved_ me, now she wants nothing to do with me..."

Miles and Stella exchanged a glance, putting their arms around each other, not knowing what to say to reassure their son things would be _okay_. Their hearts hurt for him. They still thought of him as a little kid, not a preteen, and a breakup was the _last_ thing they thought he would be upset about. Not only that, but they were each other's first relationship; focusing on their careers when they were younger, they never dated anyone else. How could they _possibly_ describe how to get through a breakup with somebody you've known for years, when they never went through one? Sure, they didn't see each other for eight years, but they were both asleep. It was a _major_ difference. They never went through the betrayal of losing each other.

Arnold noticed their silence and understood. They were still getting used to things in Hillwood after three months, and still recovering from the loss of their conscious life for eight years. They had memory lapses, forgetful thoughts, and a lot of trauma from their past years in San Lorenzo to work through. He couldn't _possibly_ expect his parents to help. He said, sadly. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have explained everything, shouldn't have pushed all this on you guys so quick."

Miles said, "Arnold, you did nothing wrong. Stella and I gladly would give you advice..."

Stella added, "But... we've never been through what you're talking about. We can't exactly understand what you're going through."

Arnold looked away, his eyes filled with more tears for a completely different reason. He may have his parents back physically, but emotionally, they were _still_ gone. Because of what they had gone through, they needed help for their minds and bodies to recover from the sleeping sickness, from the eight years they were not truly alive. The _last_ thing he needed to do was concern them with his childish problems. He had to be adult enough _-again-_ to solve them on his own... somehow.

Miles looked into Arnold's eyes and grabbed one of his shoulders reassuringly. "But son, that doesn't mean we're not here for you to have a shoulder to cry on, and we both love you _very_ much. Anytime you want to talk to us about this, we'll always have a listening ear ready, and this new job your Mother and I took at the hospital is just the thing to help us recover from what happened, so that we can be the kind of parents you need us to be."

Stella nodded and grabbed Arnold's other shoulder to smile warmly at him. "Yes, sweetie, me and your father want to be there for you now, to be your parents and take care of you: Read you bedtime stories, kiss you goodnight, walk you to school."

Arnold sighed, he knew they were _trying_ , but sometimes he felt they forgot he was _twelve_ , not _six._ He breathed in, trying to sound convincing before he replied, "It's okay. I'll be alright. I just need to let go of everything that's happened." Too bad he had no _clue_ how to do it...

Miles hugged him tightly, then Stella. Miles replied, "That's our _strong_ son," and hit him on the shoulder lightly.

They started to walk out.

Stella asked, "Anything else you need from us? You know we're only a couple rooms away, baby."

Miles softly spoke before shutting the door. "I love you, Arnold. Goodnight."

As they shut the door, tears freely fell down Arnold's eyes. He gripped his sheets in pain as he whispered back, even though they were gone. "Goodnight, Mom. Goodnight, Dad." He loved his parents _so_ much, but there was still an empty hole in his heart he didn't know how to fill. This need to be emotionally connected to somebody, that not even his _parents_ were able to meet. A need he felt he would _never_ be able to fulfill... so he cried.

* * *

After a couple hours of tears and restless turning, Arnold decided to take a walk to clear his head. It was 8 PM, and all the boarders were asleep as he walked out of the boarding house, and into the night. He couldn't stop thinking about Helga and his breakup with her earlier that day, and his parents' love, but lack of emotional support, advice, and reassurance. Hopefully the cold fall air would reassure his mind that everything was okay enough for him to get some sleep that night, and hopefully he wouldn't have nightmares that night _again_ about his parents leaving him. He somehow wondered if the nightmares he was having were connected to the lack of advice he'd gotten from his parents. Too bad he hadn't figured out a way to solve _that._ His life problems had always been more difficult to solve than everyone else's. He only knew he had to be _patient_ with them getting the psychological and physical help they needed, and that he needed to be patient with _himself_ in all of his grief, even though he didn't know exactly what to do about it...

He looked up from his walk to the park to notice a limo heading his way. Curious, he stopped to watch one of his classmates step out of the back: Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. She had a few shopping bags in one hand as she greeted him. "Hey, Arnold. What are you doing out this time of night?"

He sighed, trying to put on a brave front, and hoping she didn't see any tears in his eyes from earlier. "Hi, Rhonda."

"Listen Arnold, I'm _so_ sorry to hear about what happened between you and Helga. It was _bound_ to happen sometime. You know how she is, just like Lila, she doesn't like-you like-you, she just _likes_ you."

Arnold looked down sadly. Rhonda was as bad at comforting as his ex was. She said the same kind of thing when they thought Dino Spumoni was dead. She didn't know how to be sympathetic at all, and Arnold decided to be the bigger person and look past that. "Thanks, Rhonda."

Rhonda nodded as she put her free arm over his shoulders. "Anytime, Arnold. So anyway, I've been thinking a little today, and I was wondering if you could give me some advice. You're _awful_ good at helping other people."

He was sad, but still managed to ask, "What's the problem, Rhonda?" In those moments he was helping out kids his age, he felt more like an adult than _any_ other time in his life. He couldn't help but think... maybe he was _meant_ to be an old soul; maybe his childhood was _supposed_ to be taken away from him...

Rhonda continued. "Well, I've been thinking. Gerald and Phoebe are together, Helga and you were together. Maybe _I_ should get a boyfriend for myself. I just don't know who to pick. I need someone who's smart and helpful, but also classy and has plenty of _style._ " Rhonda thought a moment before saying. "What about you, Arnold? You fit the cards pretty well."

Arnold's eyes widened. _Me and... Rhonda? Well, I guess that wouldn't be too bad but... wait, something is telling me getting involved with Rhonda after Helga broke up with me isn't a very smart idea. I still care for Helga, and I don't need to compare Rhonda to her, or to put her in a bad place knowing I don't feel the same way for her._ He cleared his throat. "I'm flattered, Rhonda, really I am... it's just..."

Rhonda sighed as she let go of his shoulders. "Not your type, huh?"

Arnold put his hands on both of her shoulders and they both looked into each other's eyes. "Rhonda, I _do_ like you, and I wouldn't mind dating, but I'm not _completely_ over my ex yet, and I don't want to hurt you in the process of moving on from her."

Rhonda hadn't even thought of that. It seemed to cheer her up a little. "Wow, that's very _gallant_ of you, Arnold. I'm sorry I pushed this on you the day you both broke up."

Arnold forced a smile. "It's okay. Listen, if you're thinking of dating somebody, why not try _Sid?_ He seems like he might care for you. If not Sid, I know you don't like him very much, but _Curly_ wouldn't mind going on a date with you."

Rhonda backed away, like she had been burnt. "Curly, _ewww!_ Not in a million years, Arnold! And... and _Sid?_ That boy has too much drama for it to ever work out with us."

Arnold thought a moment. "Well... what about Harold? He's always treated you well in the past."

Rhonda's eyes widened. "H... H... Harold? Why on _earth_ would I want to go out with _him_ , besides isn't he still with Patty?"

"I don't know, I really don't keep up with gossip, Rhonda. I'm just trying to give you some ideas." He sighed. "And I may be good at giving advice in general, but when it comes to relationships, I guess I'm just as inexperienced there as anyone else."

"But... I heard you helped _Coach Wittenberg_ and his _wife_ , _even_ Oskar and Susie!"

"I... _did?_ " He realized he had when he thought about it, but then he realized something else. "Yeah, but they were _already_ married, Rhonda. They _already_ had everything established in their relationships. When it comes to _new_ relationships, I don't really have much advice to offer you. I'm sorry."

Rhonda patted his shoulder in sympathy, but realized he was right, and started to get back into the limo. "I understand, Arnold, so I guess I have no choice but to figure this one out on my own. Thanks anyway for the advice." She waved as the limo drove off.

"See you, Rhonda." Arnold waved her a goodbye. He felt a _little_ better after helping someone,and decided to turn around and go home to try and get some rest.

* * *

Helga was at Phoebe's house, hiding underneath the stairs, listening to Kyo's call. Why was she hiding underneath the stairs? To get any information she needed to possibly persuade Kyo and Reba to let her stay with them instead of Olga. She had been hiding from them, and trying to gather important information on how to stay there for almost a week. So far, the idea wasn't working. Kyo was currently on the phone, talking about a business deal, nothing about her or Olga. She was just about to give up again, when Kyo said something that shocked her...

"Yes, I'm sorry for the loss of you as our customer, I was hoping it wouldn't come down to this... No, I can't do anything. My company is unfortunately on its way out the door. I had to sell to another business... I _know_ , but our company is just not ready to expand our business like the other retailer, and I had to sell my business to them..."

Helga's eyes widened. She had been so _selfish_ to not see until now what Phoebe's family was going through. Just like Bob and Miriam, Phoebe's parents were going out of _business_. Would they even have enough money to support their own _daughter?_ She had been thinking of only _herself_ , even when they let her stay an additional _three weeks_. Were they working for the people that took Big Bob's business from him...? If they truly were, how could she be so _selfish?_ With her eyes watering and remorse in her heart, she decided she needed to leave... _now._ Not because they told her to, but because she was a burden to them, and she didn't need to cause any more trouble. As Kyo hung up the phone and walked out of the living room, she walked over to use the phone. She dialed a number that she knew by heart because of how many times she'd seen it on the caller ID at the Pataki's residence. Somebody picked up on the third ring.

Olga answered. "Hello? Who is this?"

Helga swallowed the lump in her throat as she continued. She _needed_ to be an adult, and not the kid that she had been lately. She didn't need to inconvenience Phoebe or her parents _anymore_. "Olga, it's me, _Helga_. Listen, I, uh, I need a place to stay."

* * *

 ** _In Phoebe's room..._**

Phoebe didn't know what to say once Helga told her what she did. "Helga, I know that you needed to leave, but you still have another four days to go."

"For _what_ exactly? It's not like we _talk_ anymore, Phoebs. Besides, I'm only here to inconvenience you and your beloved family."

"Where did you get _that?_ Listen, Helga, I haven't spoken to you because you _told_ me to leave you alone."

Helga sighed. "Well, maybe it's about time _I_ leave _you_ alone for a change." Phoebe was silent as Helga continued. "Phoebe, you were my _best friend_ , and I've done nothing living here but make your life _miserable_. Heck, if I couldn't get along with my family, what makes me think I'll be able to get along with anyone else's? Might as well stick with what I'm familiar with, right?"

"But Helga, if you felt guilty, all you needed to do was apologize to me, you didn't need to leave before your time was up-"

"-Oh, yes, I do, Phoebe. You want to know _why?_ It's obvious I can't change. I treat you the same way, the class the same way, heck I even treat _Arnold_ the same. I _need_ to figure this out on my own. I _need_ to make the mature decision to live with Olga. You were right, I should've stayed with my family and now, I dug my own grave. The _last_ thing I need to do is bring your family down with me; I'm _living_ with Olga."

Phoebe's eyes widened. "But Helga...!"

Helga held up a hand. " _No_ , my mind is made up, and I'm asking you not to talk with me until I change _all_ my ways. I'm through putting people through the grinder when they did _nothing_ to deserve it. Your parents have done nothing but love me, it's about time I learn how to love others."

Phoebe hugged her old best friend as tears started to come down her face. "Helga, I _do_ forgive you, _please_ just talk to me about this!"

Helga lightly pushed her away. "I've never known how to open myself up completely to people, Phoebs, not even _you_. All those years living with Bob and Miriam, you would _think_ they would at least teach me to care. Heck, Bob and Miriam _never_ cared about me, I've practically had to raise _myself;_ made my own lunch and walked to school by myself since the age of three, learned how to make my own meals at home so I wouldn't starve..."

Phoebe sighed, "But... you don't _have_ to be the adult. You're not at _home_ anymore, Helga."

Helga sighed. Phoebe was definitely right, she wasn't _home_. She had never been _home_. She never had the physical love of a family, not even the emotional love. There had _always_ been a hole in her heart that she couldn't fill, but even now, she couldn't get the advice she needed, and she'd pushed _Arnold_ away enough for him to _never_ talk to her again. She hated _herself._ "I _have_ to do this Phoebe, and I _don't_ want you telling anyone where I am or visiting me. I have to do this... on my own." Helga picked up her school stuff and back pack with the little bit of stuff she had that was hers.

Phoebe looked up sadly. "You're leaving _now?_ "

Helga looked down, not able to stare into Phoebe's eyes after what she put her through. "I have to, Olga will be here soon to pick me up. Tell your parents that I said thanks for everything."

"This _can't_ be the last time we ever communicate Helga!"

Helga bowed her head as she heard a car horn outside. She knew it was Olga, ready to take her across town to her new _home_. "I'm afraid it is the last time. See you later, ol' friend," she glanced back before shutting Phoebe's room door. "And take care of yourself, at least better than _I_ ever took care of you."

After she left, Phoebe started crying heavily. She got in her bed and covered herself up, not wanting to face what just happened. Helga had left her, possibly forever, and for _her_ sake, _never_ wanted to talk to her again. _Helga... why did you have to do this? I would rather have you here arguing with me than never talking to me... perhaps Gerald can bring me some comfort._ And with that, she reached for her phone to call her boyfriend.

* * *

 ** _November 4th, at school..._**

Arnold and Gerald sat down at their seats beside each other, waiting for Mr. Frank to get there to teach the 6th grade class. They were early, so they talked.

Gerald said, "So, you feeling any better since last week at this time? I bet you're thankful to have your parents back in your life to talk to about stuff."

Arnold looked away. "I guess..."

Gerald was shocked. "What do you mean _**'** I guess **'**?_ This is the _first_ year you've been with your parents in over _eight_ _years!_ You _did_ talk to them about Helga and what happened, right?"

Arnold pulled out his English book for his first class before turning back to Gerald. "I tried, but they just started working, so they're pretty busy with that. Not to mention they need therapy and counseling from what they went through in the jungle. I don't think they were prepared to talk with me about a breakup." He closed his eyes. "And the _last_ thing I want to do after what they'd been through is put any more _stress_ on their shoulders."

Gerald shook his head. "Everything's always got to be _perfect_ with you, doesn't it?"

Arnold continued to explain himself. "I mean, _sure_ they _love_ me, but sometimes I think they forget I'm twelve, not four. They treat me like a little kid. It took a _month_ for them to let me walk to school on my own like all the other kids in our class do, and every other night they read me bedtime stories. I just wish... I just wish there was away all those years weren't taken away from us. I feel like they're on a different path than I am all the time, that we don't even _know_ each other anymore."

"Well, _technically_ you don't, but at least you have the rest of your lives to get to know each other now."

"That's true, too... and helping Rhonda later _did_ help me feel a little better-"

"-Helping _Rhonda?_ Were you contributing to her gossip, because if _this_ is about that new rumor that's been going around-"

"-No, nothing like that. She wanted dating advice the day Helga and I broke up."

Gerald turned his head sideways a little shocked, and then hit his head with his hand. "Arnold, _p_ _lease_ tell me that you did _not_ give her dating advice when you were still grieving the end of you and Helga's relationship."

"You know I couldn't say no to giving her advice, Gerald. She also seemed a bit upset."

"And _you_ weren't?" Gerald shook his head. " _Mmm, mmm, mmm_. You, my friend, are an _old soul._ "

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... how come you're not in college already or have your own place? You don't _need_ your parents to run your life or anyone else for that matter. You're twelve going on thirty man, and frankly, I _still_ don't know how you do it, even after eight years of friendship."

Arnold shrugged. "When given no choice, you've got to do what you've got to do to adapt to your surroundings. I'm okay being an adult at my age."

Gerald asked. "But... what about when you have a more _serious_ problem? I'm talking going home from a drunk party. Who's going to help you in your _teenage_ years?"

Arnold shrugged again. He was used to it. Why would it be a problem _now_ _?_ "I can help myself, just like I did last week when I took a walk."

Gerald shook his head. His best friend was _too_ wise beyond his years. "Whatever you say, Arnold. Whatever you say..."


	5. Chapter 5: Becoming Homeless

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. This chapter is **Teen** for **Abuse at the end.**

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 ** _Reviews:_**  
 **ForeverRogue:** I am _so_ sorry I missed thanking you on a previous chapter. I don't know how I missed your review. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
 **The.J.A.M:** I don't know why he seems to solve other people's problems better than his own, but he's always been like that in the series. Also, later on in the story, I explain this further. Thank you for the review!  
 **Yali Page:** Unfortunately, this is even sadder, _especially_ with Helga. Thankfully it's better next chapter. Thanks for the review!  
 **acosta perez jose ramiro:** Oh, they certainly do. That's what makes them so much more mature than the rest of their class. They also _do_ have to solve their own problems in this story; this chapter starts it with Helga. Thanks for the review!  
 **starfiction123:** You are so welcome. I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to review more yet. I plan on doing that later this week, though. I've been promising to review a few more stories too, and I want to, just haven't had the chance between a 40 hour work week and house responsiblities...which sucks, cause I really want to read all these stories, including yours. It gets much darker in this chapter, and yes, you have figured out 40 percent of my story, as for the other 60 percent? That I want to keep private right now, but you might be able to guess it in a couple chapters. Thanks for the review!  
 **thatamosgirl:** If you want to read my AFD story, just send me a message with your age and email and I'll send it to you. Age because the story is rated high teen. Thanks for the review!  
 **helgapatakis:** If you want to read my AFD story, just send me a message with your age and email and I'll send it to you. Age because the story is rated high teen. Thanks for the review!  
 **Relaxing Pikachu:** I agree that Arnold needs to talk to Phoebe, and he does in this chapter. As for Olga? Actually, Helga moving in with Olga was one of the _worst_ things she could do. You'll see what I mean... and Arnold's parents seemed that way at the end of the jungle movie. I mean, they wouldn't even let him walk to school by himself, that _had_ to feel odd, and he looked a bit embarrassed in that scene. Thanks for the review!  
 **diamondiva:** So glad you like it. Thanks for the review!

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 **Chapter 5: Becoming Homeless**

 ** _November 11th..._**

Arnold's class at P.S. 118 was currently waiting for Mr. Frank to show up to start teaching the lesson. The man didn't seem to like his job much; he was either barely on time, or late.

Gerald turned to whisper to his best friend, "Is it just my imagination, or is there something _seriously_ wrong with Helga lately?"

Arnold's ears perked up at hearing his ex's name. Almost out of habit, he turned to look behind him at the blond... well, she had blond and black streaks in her hair now. Blond and black streaks? Definitely odd for _her._ What was more odd was one of the first things he noticed about her, her pink bow was _gone_. Also, her pink dress was now a _black_ dress, covering her arms and even her legs completely. She was more _dark_ than usual, that's for sure. He couldn't believe she was wearing all black.

Arnold turned back to Gerald. "I don't know, Gerald. I mean, I still care about her, but Helga told me to stay out of her business, so I've been trying to do what she wants-"

"-Arnold, she's been dressing in all black for _three days_ now. I don't know about you, but considering the girl has been wearing pink for _8 years_ , it's _definitely_ not normal. Something's wrong, and you're typically the _first_ person to try and help her out."

Arnold sighed, repeating what he previously said. "Listen, even _you_ told me a week ago that I needed to stay out of her business, so _that's_ what I'm doing."

"All I'm _saying_ is that your ex-girlfriend is acting a bit... well, weird. That's all."

"I can't help her out, Gerald. I would like to eventually be friends with her again, but jumping into her business isn't going to let me in her heart."

Gerald shook his head. "You're a _bold_ kid, Arnold. Don't think I'd be able to do it if Phoebe was acting that way, even if we broke up and it was _her_ fault."

Arnold was about to reply when Mr. Frank walked in the classroom with his morning coffee just as the last of the students came rushing in.

Mr. Frank sighed as he sat down at his desk and talked to the sixth graders in a depressing and bored-like tone. "Okay, I'm assigning partners for a new project you're required to work on. You can call it a prerequisite of the sexual education class you're required to participate in this year by the Board of Education. You're to work on a 5 **-** page essay reviewing what you learned last year in your introduction to sex ed. I'm also requiring you to refute one old wives' tale as part of your essay. Partners are as follows, listen because I am not repeating myself: Phoebe and Gerald, Rhonda and Harold, Helga and Arnold..."

As he droned on with more names, Gerald looked at Arnold and whispered, "Good luck, man."

Arnold nodded as he glanced at Helga, who looked like she was uninterested and in another place, not paying attention to Mr. Frank at all. She pulled out a book and opened it to the middle somewhere.

Mr. Frank continued droning on, "And Sheena and Eugene. Line up your desks to work together. They will stay like this until after January. I will collect the papers the last day before Christmas break. Any questions about the essay, go to the library and do the research. This will be your assignment until lunch today. It will also be 25% of your grade this year. That is all." He picked up a large book and started to read, seeming more interested in the pages than his class moving desks and talking to each other right in front of him.

Arnold moved his desk to line it up on the left of Helga. She was reading _Wuthering Heights_ ,and she had still refused to take notice of what was going on, and him lining up their desks to work together. He knew she hated him, but she must have _really_ hated him if she didn't even notice he _existed_ now. Whatever she was reading, she was very engaged in the book, and in some ways, he didn't want to interrupt her focus only to be _yelled_ at again.

As Arnold sat down beside her, he sighed. _Might as well be friendly even while were not in a relationship. The least I can do is be her friend_. He spoke **,** "Helga, I know that I'm probably the _last_ person you would like to work with on an assignment like this, but because this is 25% of our grade, I think we should try and get along. What do you say? Truce?"

Helga blinked her eyes to glance at him, and it was then Arnold noticed she had black eye-shadow and eyeliner on. It was... well, she looked pretty, but still not like _Helga._

Helga shrugged. "Whatever. It's not like we have to communicate to work on this, just write your stupid essay and leave me alone!" She looked back at her book. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere _else_ but in school.

Arnold looked at the top of her head again to notice the lack of her pink bow once again. If it wasn't for her pink bow being gone, he could have probably worked on the assignment without even talking to her. Arnold took a deep breath, and spoke. "I'm just wondering one thing before we get started. I've noticed that you haven't been wearing your pink bow for a couple days, and I was wondering what happened to it?" _She doesn't look the same without it, it's almost like it belongs on her. I don't know why..._

Helga growled, whatever _darkness_ was inside of her started to spill out. She bitterly spoke. "None of your business! Didn't I _tell_ you not to try and help me?! Didn't I _tell_ you not to get involved in my life?! You don't _need_ to know what's going on!" _Please forgive me, my love. I just can't... I can't tell you!_

Arnold sighed. "I was just curious, that's all. I mean, you've been wearing that pink bow since the day we met back in preschool. I don't know why, but I feel like it's a part of you, and I do miss seeing you wear it all the time."

Helga blinked for a moment in shock. "You... you do? But... why Arnold? It's not like you ever _talk_ to me anymore." _Not since_ _he_ _broke up with_ _me_ _a few weeks ago at least. Since I'd gotten in an argument with him in the cafeteria, he's wanted_ _nothing_ _to do with me. Why worry about my appearance_ _now_ _? And... why is it actually_ _any_ _of his business. He_ _can't_ _know what's going on; he_ _can't_ _try to help me!_

Arnold looked away a moment before speaking. "I know were not together right now, but I would still like us to be friends. Your life is still important to me, and I've known you too long to stop talking to you completely."

Helga sighed as she finally put her book down. "All right... truce. We can be friends." _He only wants to be_ _friends_ _? Just what I thought, he was lying to me the whole time in San Lorenzo. LYING TO ME, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE HAS!_

Arnold seemed to cheer up a bit at Helga's words, not noticing the turmoil going on behind her eyes. "Great! So, uh, I was wondering... why exactly have you wearing all black lately?"

Helga's eyes darkened in worry and anger. "Out of all the questions to ask me, you choose _that one?_ "

Arnold shrugged. "It's weird seeing you in black instead of pink, not to mention this is the first week in my life I think I've seen you wearing long sleeves, and it's really not that cold outside right now-"

She raised her fist at him. "-One more word from you about why I'm dressed like _this_ and I _swear_ I'll DECK YOU! AND DON'T THINK I WON'T EITHER!"

Arnold blinked once in surprise at her aggression, and then _twice_ when he noticed _why_ she could be acting so ruthless. As she raised her fist up at him, her loose **-** fitting sleeve went down on her arm, revealing a huge blue and black bruise on her lower arm, and it looked to be the start of another bruise on her upper arm. He didn't know much, but he was sure that wasn't at all normal. He gasped. "Helga... what happened to your arm?"

Helga reacted quick, covering his mouth with one of her hands, pulling up her sleeve with the other, and whispering. " _Shh!_ Criminy, don't say that so _loud!_ Did you want the class to _hear_ you, what about the _teacher?_ Did you fail to think of _that_?"

As she let go of his mouth, Arnold asked in a shaky voice, worried for her well-being. "Helga... _please_ tell me that you're _not_ being abused."

She whispered back. "I'm... I'm _not_ being abused Arnold, I just... just fell down the _steps_ the other day, that's all. Now mind your own business!"

His eyes turned sad as he recognized she was trying to hide something. Seeming to realize something, he whispered back. "Is _that_ why you're not talking to me anymore? Is _that_ why you're closing me out of your life? You're trying to keep your life a secret from me because of _this?_ Helga, if you're _really_ being hurt in your own home, you _can't_ keep it a secret from people. You _have_ to let somebody know, _I_ have to let somebody know-"

She whispered harshly, covering his mouth. "-You're not letting _anyone_ know _nothing,_ got it! I'm straightening out the situation _myself._ You're not letting _anyone_ _else_ know, or getting your hands on trying to _straighten it out,_ cause it's not going to work!" She let go of his mouth so that he could speak.

Arnold was surprised, but whispered back. "But _Helga,_ if you're being hurt, you _have_ to let someone else know. You can't just _ignore_ this, or try to straighten out the problem yourself. At least _then_ , you can get out of that environment without being hurt again, maybe live-"

"-In _foster care_ , you think that I want to live in _foster care?!_ " She was whispering harshly but her voice began to gradually rise as she got more upset. "Football Head, have you ever _been_ to foster care? How would you like it if when _you_ were younger I called to get _you_ put into foster care because of your crazy _grandparents?!_ Do you even _know_ what happens to you in foster care?"

Arnold shrugged. "Well, I'm assuming you get a home and a family and-"

She whispered harshly "This just in, you don't _know_ what it's like. Have you _ever_ read the book, _Breaking Night_ or seen the movie, _Homeless to Harvard_? It's about a girl named Liz that lives with drug addicted parents who can't take care of her. They're too _wrapped_ up in their own worldly problems to even notice she e _xists_ half of the time." She took a breath as she continued, wanting him to understand why nobody could report what was going on. "Do you _know_ what happens when a teacher sees what's going on, and then the state gets involved? They tell you to pack your bags and then they _put you in the system!_ Do you _know_ what even _happens_ when they put you in the system? You're sent far away from your hometown, taken to a different school, and you're put around _juvenile delinquents_ who want to do _nothing_ but _make your life miserable!_ You don't _have_ a parent with you to _protect_ you, you have _kids_ around you who are _just like you_ that parents didn't want to keep around! They'll steal your food, put poison in your drinks, fill up your shampoo bottles with bleach! And you don't have _anybody_ to run to for help, no grown **-** ups will help you out of the situation. They'll just shake their heads in sympathy at you, because you know _why?_ You're _stuck, stuck_ forever until somebody has a kind enough heart to adopt you! And half of those adoptions don't even _work,_ and you're sent _straight_ back to that miserable excuse of a home! If you're even my _friend,_ you _won't_ report me! You _won't_ tell _anybody_ what's going on!" She grabbed his shoulders to pull him up to look in her eyes. "You hear me. NOBODY. NOTHING. And if you even _think_ of calling Family Services on me, I'll make _one_ call reporting to them that _you_ live with parents who are in physical rehab and have no jobs, and that you live with two grandparents who are going _senile_...!" she huffed and whispered harshly to him, with narrowed eyes. "If _you_ take _me_ down, I'll drag _you_ down with me, you nosy nimrod!" _Arnold, my love, just let this go, I beg of you!_ _DON'T CALL ANYONE_ _!_

Arnold took a deep breath in fear before she let go of him to drop him in his seat. He swallowed the lump in his throat, before he whispered. "I'm...I'm _so_ sorry, Helga. I had no _clue_ it was like that. Helga... okay, I understand, I won't report _anything_. I won't... won't tell _anyone_ , I promise. But, what are you going to do for right now? I don't want you staying wherever you are. It's not safe."

"Relax, Arnold-o. You don't _need_ to worry about a thing. I've got _everything_ worked out." she crossed her arms, hoping to sound convincing.

Arnold looked away, he didn't believe her for a second, but for his _sanity_ , he decided to. After her story and threat, he knew he didn't need to get involved. Still, he was _worried_. Where was she staying? Who was hitting her rough enough to create bruises? He didn't bother asking her those questions because he knew at that point, she wouldn't tell him anything else. He didn't know what to do or who to ask to get the answers he needed. She and Phoebe didn't talk anymore, but maybe Phoebe knew what was going on with Helga. At the very least, he could try and ask her. It was difficult _not_ to get involved when somebody you cared for was being _hurt_ , and although he would honor her wishes and _not_ report the abuse, he _needed_ to find out what was going on. After all, maybe he could _somehow_ prevent it from happening _again..._

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Arnold walked in the library at lunch time, knowing that Phoebe skipped her lunch twice a week to go to the library and study. He spotted her at a brown table by herself engaged in a history book. She looked up and seemed surprised when she saw him approach her. "Hello, Arnold. What a surprise to see you here this morning. What did you need? Are you studying here as well?"

Arnold rubbed his arm nervously as he sat down beside her. "Actually, Phoebe. I'm not here to study, but I wanted to ask you a couple questions if you're not too busy."

Phoebe looked into his eyes. He could see the hesitance and uncertainty behind them, but she replied. "Certainly, Arnold. I'll do the best I can to help you with whatever you need. Does this have to do with school?"

Arnold sighed. How exactly could he ask Phoebe about Helga _without_ bringing up the abuse? This was going to be more difficult than he thought. "No, I wanted to ask you about Helga if that's okay. I know you guys don't speak a lot anymore, but something seems _really_ wrong with her, and I thought you might be able to tell me what it was."

Phoebe sighed, looking away a moment. "I'm sorry Arnold, but I'm under consent to not disclose any matters with anyone concerning Helga right now." _Perhaps if I honor her wishes and keep her secrets_ _now_ _, maybe she'll trust me enough to be friends again someday..._

He didn't understand it, Phoebe and she didn't seem like friends anymore, and yet she was unwilling to tell him about Helga... but... she _needed_ to tell him...!

Arnold grabbed Phoebe's hands, needing to find _some way_ for her to tell him what's going on. Phoebe was surprised at the gesture, and started to comment **,** "Arnold, what are you...?"

"Listen, I know we don't talk a lot, and I know you and Helga don't talk a lot anymore, but Helga is _still_ my ex, and even though were not in a relationship right now, that doesn't mean I don't consider her a _friend,_ and-"

"Your _ex?"_ Phoebe let go of his hands in surprise. "Gerald never told me that the two of you dated. Actually, now that I recall, Helga never told me either. When did _this_ happen, and why are the two of you not together anymore?" She found it odd if they dated that either of them would end the relationship _that_ quick. So quick that she wouldn't have even known it existed.

Arnold rubbed his arm nervously. He knew why _Gerald_ didn't reveal the relationship to anyone, as for _Helga_ not telling _Phoebe_. He sighed. _Well, she must_ _really_ _hate me now if she didn't even tell her_ _best friend_ _at the time that we were together..._ Arnold spoke sadly and softly, explaining it to her, "We dated 3 weeks in October, but she had a fight with me in the cafeteria and broke things off with me."

Phoebe thought a moment, then she replied to him. "Hmm... I guess I was here instead of the cafeteria when that happened. Though that _is_ rather odd for her to break things off so suddenly, but she _has_ been going through a lot of stuff lately."

Arnold tried again. Persistently, he asked,"Did you think that you could tell me where she's living at right now?"

Phoebe sighed, tapping her hand against the desk in thought. "Well... I'm not really supposed to say where she's staying, but I'm worried about her well-being as well, and considering at least you're still her _friend_ , perhaps you can go up there and find out what's going on." Phoebe got out her notebook and pulled out a piece of paper to jot down Olga's address. She folded it and handed it to him. "Helga didn't give me the number, but she told me she was staying with Olga. I know from visiting Olga in the past for a few extra credit assignments, _this_ is where Olga's address is."

Arnold opened up the folded note to look down at it, and the first thing he noticed was the zip code. He whispered to her. "That's... all the way across town. I would probably need to take at least four buses to even reach there."

Phoebe sighed. "I'm afraid so."

Arnold blinked as he realized something else. _And I_ _can't_ _tell Grandpa to drive me in case he witnesses abuse going on there, and then calls up Foster Care. I've_ _got_ _to keep this a secret._ Arnold looked up at Phoebe's timid and worried eyes, and nodded at her. "Don't worry, I'll pay Olga's house a visit. Tonight, I'll look online for the best possible route to get there on foot to Olga's, and I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I visit." He was hoping he didn't see anything _too_ grim, otherwise he knew he wouldn't be able to keep Helga's secret for long, and he didn't want her to hate him even more, or to report _his_ family either. His body shook at the thought of being taken away from his parents all over again.

Phoebe hugged him a moment before pulling back to speak. "Thank you _so_ much, Arnold. Can I admit something to you? Helga stopped talking with me _weeks_ ago, and told me not to follow her to talk to her at _all_ now, so I knew I couldn't possibly dishonor her wishes and go there myself if I wanted _any_ future friendship with her **,** " she sighed. She was willing to admit what was going on to Helga's 'ex' because after all, he _deserved_ to know. "The Beeper Emporium was bought out, so Helga moved in with me and my family for a month to have a place to stay. Unfortunately, my father's business is being sold as well, so my parents don't have the means to support her along with me right now. The reason that were not friends anymore is because I betrayed her trust and said something to my parents about her living with Olga. I decided at the time it was best for her to have an alternative place to live, and _that's_ why I told them about Olga. I _still_ care about her, and value her privacy now more than ever. I know this may seem rather irresponsible for me to ask you, but _please_ keep our conversations today secret, even if it hurts me or her in the process. _Please_ don't tell Helga that I gave you Olga's address to go looking for her, or told you what has been happening with her family. I can tell you care for her still, and I deeply do as well and need to know what's going on, but if there's any chance in us being friends again, I _need_ to take it. She _can't_ know we talked about this.

Arnold closed his eyes. He understood where she was coming from with keeping secrets. Phoebe and Helga's friendship was broken apart because Phoebe was _honest_ with her parents about Helga. Whatever was going on _now_ , Helga wasn't afraid to break off _friendships_ to keep her _secrets_ to stay out of Foster care, and she proved that today talking to him about it in class. Arnold wanted to stay her _friend_ above all else, and after hearing Phoebe's story, he was reaffirmed to keep _'the abuse'_ secret above all else, even though he _knew_ it could hurt Helga in the long run. Nobody needed to find out. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he still had feelings for her, and didn't want to lose the small connection he had with her because of a _secret_. He started to walk away as he admitted to Phoebe, in a sad voice, "Maybe sometimes it's better to keep secrets from people. I'm just sorry you had to go through what you went through in order to learn it."

Phoebe nodded. "Unfortunately. I wish you all the luck in the world Arnold, and _please_ don't forget to tell me she's okay once you find her. I've been worried sick about her lately!"

Arnold turned around again to look in Phoebe's worried eyes, and nodded. Tell Phoebe that Helga was _okay?_ How was he going to keep Helga's friendship _and_ her secrets? And what was he going to tell Phoebe when he found her? It's not like he could _lie_ to her ex-best friend, could he? _Should_ he...?

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 **WARNING: ABUSE UP AHEAD. STOP IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ IT AND CONTINUE ON WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER...!**

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"I thought I told you after my long shift that I wanted dinner made _perfectly!_ Geez, for being the _perfect_ Pataki child, you sure suck at being a future wife! Don't I give you _enough_ of my money every week to support you while you pursue your master **'** s degree? Don't I do a good enough job supporting you while you're going to college to have dinner on the freaking table every night, _and_ made properly for me? I'm supposed to be your priority, your future...!"

Olga was on her knees in the kitchen, crying hysterically. Usually the house was cleaned, dinner was made, and everything was _perfect_ before he got home from work at 5 every afternoon, but college studying had required more time than she had planned to take, and dinner was late being made. It was still hot the way he liked it, but the meatloaf wasn't as juicy as he wanted it. She was also just finding out that her fiancé _hated_ onions, and _definitely_ didn't want it in the meatloaf. _Everything_ was supposed to be perfect; _she_ was supposed to be _perfect._ Why couldn't she live up to her own expectations, especially for the man that she loved. He had _every_ right to be angry with her...!

He continued ranting. "I come home to _this._ Dirty dishes, food barely finished on time. I thought you were _perfect_ enough to marry, now I'm not so sure."

Olga cried. "Please, Robert. I _am_ perfect. Just like my parents said, I _am_ the perfect wife for you. Don't give up on me _now._ I _love you!_ I would be nothing without you and your support." Where would she _be_ without him? What would her _pathetic_ world look like? He was her _everything_ , Again, like he did about twice a week, he would _toss_ her expectations of their future out the window and start a fight. Her third fiancé, she had thought for _sure_ she had met the perfect man; the one. Two jobs, a _perfect_ family, good looking man. Where had she gone wrong? Too bad her house was signed by the _both_ of them now, and too bad they were to be married in a couple weeks since she'd given herself to him. It wasn't _so_ bad when he didn't hit her, with her parents gone, she didn't know _how_ to live without him, or technically _how_ she could leave him, considering he'd put his _mark_ on her. It would be less than a perfect reputation if any of the Pataki family found out, and she couldn't handle the shame! I mean, it's not like he hit her _more_ than twice a week. She could deal with that the rest of her life _, right?"_

He growled. "I'm _sick_ of you not being my trophy wife. _That_ was what you were designed to be, _my_ trophy wife, but you can't even do _that._ What use are you, heck, the floors aren't even vacuumed today; they're _supposed_ to be vacuumed _everyday,_ not twice a week! What have you been _doing_ all day?! Don't tell me... I know, I know. You've been _laying_ _around_ like your _stupid_ mother did before your father left her."

Her tears stopped as she looked up at him from the floor, her anger coming on full force. "How _dare_ you say that about mummy, she is a _wonderful_ person who has a _small_ problem, and daddy didn't _leave_ her, he just couldn't _live_ with her anymore. Daddy is a wonderful hardworking man. You don't have the _right_ to put me or my parents down, you don't _own_ me, Robert! As much as you think you do, you do _not_ have rights to _everything!"_

* * *

Meanwhile, in Helga's room... Olga had given Helga a couple CDs along with an old CD player and headphones when she moved in a week ago, and she was currently listening to alternative rock music on them upstairs, but s _till_ heard the loud banging from downstairs break through the _L_ _inkin_ _P_ _ark_ album that was currently playing. It sounded like a _toaster_ was being thrown at somebody than the _microwave._ Thinking about _that_ thought, Helga took off her headphones to listen in. Hopefully, Olga had learned to keep her mouth _shut_ from the _last_ time Helga had to rescue her from Robert. The _last_ thing she needed was anymore bruises on her arms or legs.

Olga was crying as Robert destroyed her kitchen. "If you _loved_ me, you would take care of me just like any other future husband would. _You're_ the worker, _I'm_ the house wife-"

He spat out. "Criminy, you're just about as hopeless as your _parents_ are! What use are all those _trophies_ hanging in the living room when you don't even _know_ how to be a house wife!" he stopped speaking as he heard a voice call out, and it wasn't Olga's.

"Hey, you! Yeah _, you!"_ Helga exploded at him, now downstairs watching everything going on in the kitchen from the entrance. Olga was crouching down in the corner by the fridge, Robert currently had a coffee maker in his hands, getting ready to throw it at her. Helga screamed, "Who says you can hurt my _big sister_ like that?! I know Olga and I are _far_ from _perfect_ _sisters_ , but that doesn't give you the right to _talk_ to her and _throw_ things at her the way you're doing!"

He was fuming as he whispered, "What the hell are you doing downstairs, child! Get back up to your room, _now!"_

Helga growled as she walked closer. Not an inch of fear in her bones when she was previously watching somebody tear her sister _TO PIECES_. "I'll ask the questions here, _ROBERT._ What has _she_ ever done to _you_ , heck, what have _you_ ever done for _us_ other than run your big loud mouth? _Nobody_ treats my sister like crap, and _that_ includes _you,_ bucko! So stay the heck away from her!"

Olga was heaving on the ground now, clearly crying _hysterically_ with everything going on. "Helga... _please_ go to your room. Just... _ignore_ everything going on... we're trying to work this out..."

Helga growled. "Like you did _last_ week, Olga? For crying out loud, you've got bruises the size of Texas all over your legs and arms, and don't _think_ I didn't notice it's from _HIM._ You expect me to just sit around and w _atch_ you be abused, knowing what's going on and what he's doing to _you_? Get _real_. As for _YOU, you pathetic_ sap! I warned you last week if you messed with my sister again, I was calling on you, and don't even _think_ I wouldn't, you worm!"

Robert clenched his hands. "I'm _warning_ you, you pathetic excuse for a _Pataki,_ if you _dare_ touch that phone...!"

Helga walked over to the phone in the living room, calling out to Robert. "Too late to suck up now! I dialed 911 before I came in to the kitchen, and they've been listening to _everything_ we've said! They know what you're doing to Olga! You've had _too_ many chances to change, even _more_ when _I_ wasn't living here to witness you doing this to my sister, and now, you can pick on somebody your _own_ size when you head to the _slammer_! I hope you like _prison_ , buddy, because THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO BE HEADED!"

With that, Robert sprinted over to her, picked her body up off the ground, and punched her in the right eye, and then threw her away from the phone. "You better run upstairs _now_ if you know what's good for you, _Pataki_ , because there's MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM, YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A PERSON!"

Helga looked into his eyes a bit scared before taking off to her room upstairs, but before she could shut the door, Robert rushed in, slamming the door behind him, and pinning her against it. Her eye was bleeding a little, and she looked more terrified than she was the _first_ time he hit her. The first time he only hit her in the arms and legs, this time it was in the face. He was going to hit her again, wasn't he? The _last_ thing she had expected when she moved in with Olga was that her fiancé would be abusive. _What_ had she gotten herself into? She should've just moved in with her dad like she was supposed to, maybe he wouldn't have been as bad as Robert... but her father was long gone from her life _now._

He growled at her, pinning her shoulders _more_ harshly against the door. "Don't you _dare_ tell _anyone_ what I did to you, _or her, YOU GOT IT! OR YOU'RE GOING TO GET MORE THAN A COUPLE BRUISES AND A BLACK EYE NEXT TIME!"_

Helga blinked back tears. It was the _same_ words he used on her last week, and the _same_ situation unfolded yet _again._ He didn't want to _change,_ and her sister was stupid enough to stay with him just because she _loved_ him, maybe even because he reminded her of their _father._ As he let her go of her shoulders and she fell against the ground, Helga picked up her battered and bruised body to walk herself over to her bed, well, it _was_ her bed for a week. She grabbed her backpack with all her school stuff and stuffed a notebook, her CD player, CD, and a couple clothes inside. She was _not_ going to stay there and be abused, no stinkin' way.

Robert couldn't help but _laugh_ at the display. What did she think she was doing, _moving?_ Where would she _go?_ She had no other place to live, Olga had told him their house was her _last_ option.

Robert replied as she started to walk out of her room with her backpack over her shoulders. "Where do you think _you're_ going, _PATAKI?"_

Helga froze and stopped walking to turn around and look into his eyes with hers narrowed, and a glare on her face. "Anywhere but here. Hear those sirens? I want to be as _far_ away from you when they get here. If they don't see me like this, they'll only lock _you_ up for the bruises on Olga." _And they_ _won't_ _take me to Family Services..._ she thought silently.

He replied as he stared at her with pure hatred in his eyes. "I don't _hear_ anything! You think that I didn't hear the dial tone when I _threw_ you? Do you think that you can _scare_ me? And if they come here, they will believe _me_ rather than the daughter of an alcoholic _whore!_ You _still_ want to run away? That suits me, one less problem to take care of! I _told_ you we didn't want anything to do with you living here, disrupting our _lives!_ I _knew_ you were nothing but a sorry excuse for a _PATAKI._ You'll probably end up _just_ like your mother. A homeless alcoholic with _no_ future, _GOOD RIDDANCE TO YOU!"_

With a deep scowl and her emotions held back, Helga walked downstairs past Olga, who was still crying hysterically in the kitchen. She was probably so _oblivious_ with how badly she'd been abused that she didn't notice Helga leaving to go _anywhere._ Good, that's _exactly_ what Helga wanted, she didn't _need_ to worry her older sister anymore than she already was. She walked over to the kitchen entrance again to watch the _last_ family member she had in her life for a brief moment, before Robert turned her around roughly to look in her eyes, and snapped. "What are you waiting for, _GET OUT OF HERE!"_

Helga scowled at him as she walked towards the door and walked out, leaving her past _home_ with Olga behind, _forever._ Her only consolation was that as she turned a corner, two police cruisers barreled down the street toward Olga's house, sirens blaring and lights flashing. At the _very_ least, she wasn't going to be put in foster care.

Helga watched the scene silently from the corner of an alleyway, realizing something as she did. It was _official_ now. She had pushed everyone out of her life and she had nowhere to go.

For the _first_ time in her life, she was homeless...


	6. Chapter 6: Finding Helga

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. This chapter is **Teen** for conflict and drama. Enjoy!

* * *

 **ForeverRogue:** Arnold _will_ come to her rescue, but it will take the whole chapter to find her. Thanks for the review!  
 **Yali Page:** Thank you, and thanks for the review!  
 **The J.A.M:** About time, right? And Homeless to Harvard is a true story. Thanks for the review!  
 **Ajay435:** Nah, he won't be able to keep quiet on everything for long, he's Arnold, and he _will_ come to her rescue. Thanks for the review!  
 **Guest:** Your review cracked me up, thanks for the laugh and the review!  
 **acosta perez jose ramiro:** Unfortunately, it's way too typical for Olga in the show to develop an interest for men that aren't good for her. She seems to have a bad habit of doing it. Thanks for the review!  
 **2882393:** I'm glad to say that it does have a very happy ending, and I'll be writing hopefully I'll have it done before the summer. Thanks for the review!  
 **Atiana:** Me alegro de que te guste gracias por la revisión! (I can't speak spanish, so I hope I said that right...)  
 **Azure129:** Hey girl, I definately want to tie up a bit more loose ends, and I enjoy writing the characters so you know I had to come up with _some_ story post TJM. You need to write more yourself lol thanks for the review Jenna. :)  
 **The Wasp1995:** I try. Hopefully this chapter is a bit unexpected as well. Got to keep my readers on their toes and wanting more. Thanks for the review!  
 **Relaxing Pikachu:** She didn't know about the abuse until she moved in, but I agree, she was being very selfish when she was living with Phoebe and her family, she was very much reverting back to being childish and mean. What's kind of funny is Arnold thinks Helga dumped him, but Helga thinks Arnold dumped her. I did that purposely. They will eventually talk about that, actually in the next chapter they will. As for Mighty Pete. She's not staying there, but good guess. You'll see what I came up with. Thanks for the review!  
 **diamondiva:** Oh no she's not going to stand by and let herself be abused. She's too strong willed for that, she _had_ to leave. Thanks for the review!

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Finding Helga**

 _ **The next morning... November 12th...**_

Gerald was waiting outside Arnold's stoop as he opened the door. A purple butterfly and a bunch of cats and dogs ran out, followed by Grandma's bat and snake. Arnold walked down the rest of the way.

Gerald raised an eyebrow at Arnold's worn **-** out expression. "Hey, are you okay, man? You look exhausted."

Arnold sighed as he gave Gerald their ' _new_ ' traditional handshake. "I _am_ pretty tired. I was busy half of the night looking up the best possible route on foot to Olga's house."

"Olga's house? Wait, I thought you were doing well in all your classes this year."

As they started walking to school, Arnold explained, "It's not for tutoring; it's for Helga. I..." he paused, trying to be careful of what he said, "...talked to Phoebe at lunch yesterday in the library, and I found out Helga is staying with Olga." He was hesitant telling Gerald about Helga's whereabouts, but as long as he didn't know about the abuse going on, it would be fine, right?

Gerald was confused. "Doesn't her family live at the Beeper Emporium now? Phoebe told me about what happened last year. Didn't Big Bob's Beeper's go out of business or something?"

Arnold sighed. He didn't want to remember how Helga acted in May of 5th grade when her father's business crumbled. She refused to talk to anyone for _weeks_ , and she carried more despondency than he'd ever seen before. "No, she's staying with Olga now. I know something's wrong just from how Helga was acting yesterday. I realize she may not like me very much right now or even consider me a real friend, but I consider _her_ my friend, and I _have_ to be there for her, whatever she's going through-"

"-Arnold, why _care_ about someone that doesn't care about you? No sense in even _worrying_ about her, Arnold. I saw how she was ignoring you yesterday when you were trying to start the project with her. Face it, man, she doesn't want you interfering in her life. Why would you even _try_ to be her friend when she wants nothing to do with you? I would just leave her alone."

Arnold stopped as they came to a crosswalk before heading across the street with Gerald to P.S. 118. Arnold was a bit confused. "I thought you wanted to be _friends_ with Helga, Gerald."

"That was _before_ she made a scene in the lunchroom a few weeks ago and broke your heart. I'm your _best friend_ , Arnold. I can't exactly _approve_ of being friends with somebody who's full time job and goal is to do nothing but hurt you. I don't care if she _is_ your _ex-girlfriend_ , she has no excuse for the way she's treated you in the past."

Arnold sighed as he rubbed his neck in nervousness. "Even so, I want to talk with her. I think she's going through something awful right now and she doesn't want to talk about it openly. I know that she needs someone who understands."

"And you think _you_ fit the bill?" Gerald laughed, "You're a bold kid Arnold. Bold and crazy, but I wish you luck, man."

* * *

 _ **Same day... At Olga's house...**_

Arnold knocked on the door gently. He made it to Olga's at 5 PM that day. He had to take 2 buses to get there, and it took him an hour. Not too bad time wise, but between that and school, he was tired. He knew he needed to be there for Helga though, no matter _what_ she was going through.

After about 30 seconds of waiting, Olga answered the door wearing her usual outfit, but her eyes were black with mascara and eye liner. It looked like she had been crying. Olga replied softly, she was trying to sound cheerful, but she failed miserably, "Hello, Arnold. What are you doing here? Did you need help with your English homework again?"

Arnold sighed, might as well get right to the point. "No, Olga. Listen, I've been worried about Helga lately. I talked with someone at school yesterday, and she told me Helga was staying here. She's been really depressed lately, not to mention she was absent today for some reason, and I just wanted to make sure everything's okay."

All of a sudden, Olga dropped down to the ground and started crying harshly, very upset for some reason.

Arnold was surprised and didn't know _what_ to do, but trying to find some way to comfort her, he got down on his knees and put his hands on her shoulders gently. As she looked up at him with mascara running down her eyes, he replied, "Olga, it's okay. Whatever is going on it will be all right. Please, tell me what's wrong."

Olga grabbed onto Arnold's back as she buried her tear-covered face in his chest. She tried to speak to Arnold through the tears. "It's _awful_ , Arnold, just _awful_! She... she moved in here a week ago, but that was around the time... before I found out my fiancé, Robert... he was _abusive_. He was hitting me and throwing things at me in the kitchen yesterday. We were having an argument in the kitchen yesterday and she came downstairs... I _told_ her not to get in the middle of it, to go back _upstairs_... that we were working it out but... but..." She hugged Arnold even more tightly as black tears rolled down his back from her heavy eyes. He winced in pain from her tight grip, but listened to her words. "But she didn't _listen_ to me! She called the police on him and she... _she..._ "

Arnold pat her back gently. In shock with everything she said, but still trying to be a comfort to Helga's older sister, he asked, "She _what_ , Olga? What's wrong?"

"She just... just _left_! I think Robert hit her, and she just... _left_. Didn't even tell me she was leaving. Didn't even tell me where she was going! I was looking for her _all_ this morning after the police took Robert in custody last night. I couldn't find her, Arnold... anywhere! I even called up Child Protective Services to go looking for her and the police are looking now too, but they... they haven't found a trace of her yet either! She's missing!" Nothing could stop the tears from falling down her face now.

Arnold's eyes widened as he realized what Olga admitted. Helga was _gone_...! Olga's fiancé was _hitting_ her, and she was being _abused_ , and she _left_ , And... and Olga didn't even _care_ enough to look after her younger sister and prevent it from happening. Helga actually was the one looking after her older sister to try to _stop_ the abuse they were both experiencing. And... she called _Child Protective Services?_ What if Helga found out somebody reported the abuse and thought _he_ reported it? Would she _really_ call on his family and get _him_ put in foster care, let alone would she even _talk_ to him again?

Arnold couldn't believe it. Olga was _so_ selfish and inconsiderate...! Helga was right, she only cared about _herself._ He became angry at her.

Arnold sat up from the ground, putting one hand on his hip as he reached down with one of his hands for Olga to grab onto, to help her up. She stood up, still crying silently as Arnold said **,** "So, let me make sure I _understand_ this: Your younger sister was living with you, and she was being _abused_ , and you were _so_ focused on pleasing your abusive fiancé that you _failed_ to notice that your little sister was being _hurt_ by him-?"

"Arnold, listen, it wasn't like that-" she tried to explain.

"-And how _wasn't_ it like that, Olga? Not only did you fail to be a guardian and protect your younger sister, but you let her _run away_ , and didn't even notice her absence until _the next day_ -!"

"-Arnold, _please_ , you just don't understand me-"

"-Don't understand _what,_ Olga?" his voice started to rise in anger. "Because I'd _seriously_ like to know what I'm not understanding here. Helga _relied_ on you for a safe place to stay, and you couldn't even provide _that_ for her. Not only that, but you let her be _abused_ to the point where she had no choice _but_ to leave. You also invaded her privacy, you called somebody _else_ to take care of her... Child Protective Services... to check in on her and do _your_ job; the one _you're_ supposed to be doing as an adult, looking after her!" He took a deep breath, but that didn't help his anger at everything that happened. "Olga, I am just... I am _so_ disappointed in you. I thought you were a better person than _this_. As an older sister, you _failed._ I always wondered why Helga hated you so much and didn't want you interfering in her life. Now I know _exactly_ what she's been going through _for years_. You've _never_ cared about your younger sister, have you? And apparently, your parents haven't cared very much either if she couldn't stay with _them_ after her father sold his business, instead of _you._ "

Olga started crying again. "I _do_ care about my baby sister, Arnold. I care _so much!_ I didn't know Robert would turn out to be so abusive. If I did, I would have _never_ let him move in with me, and I certainly wouldn't have gotten _engaged_ to him..." she cried more. "Daddy and mummy care _very_ much about Helga, but Daddy is focused on finding a better job now and he moved out of state to get one, he _asked_ Helga if she wanted to move with him _, that's_ how much he cares-" she cried.

" _What...!_ Bob Pataki moved out of state...?" He was shocked. "What happened to your mother? Did she go _with_ him? Why didn't _Helga_ go with him?" He needed to know.

"Yes... and... and when he _left_ , Mummy she was... she was in the hospital, collapsed from an alcohol overdose. She lost her only home in over _fifteen years_. I _tried_ to talk daddy out of leaving Mummy. I suppose she overdosed because she... she just couldn't handle the _stress_ anymore!"

" _What...!_ " Arnold was shocked again. ' _So,_ _that's_ _what's been going on... Poor Helga._ ' He put a hand on his aching head as she continued explaining everything to him.

"Helga moved in with Phoebe first. I thought she was _fine_ there. The day Daddy sold his business, Helga pushed me out of the house and told me that she would be _okay_ living with Phoebe. I didn't know that a month later, she would need another place to stay, and that I was her _last_ option. I couldn't... I couldn't let my baby sister be _homeless_...! She _had_ to stay with me and Robert. I couldn't let her be on the streets!" She broke down in more tears, falling on her knees. Now... now her baby sister really _was_ on the street, and it was _all her fault._ "I'm a failure, a failure to you **,** baby sister!" she continued crying heavily.

For the first time in a long time, Arnold could only look down at Olga in tears. He was truly at a loss at what to do. No _wonder_ Helga refused to tell him what was going on. No _wonder_ she was silent with everybody and pushed him out of her life completely. Helga was a _strong, independent_ person, and Arnold _knew_ that she wouldn't want anyone's help or sympathy, so she kept everything private, even though she knew she would hurt herself in the process. She was a stronger person than he thought.

But... where was she _now?_ Was she... dare he even think it... _homeless...?_ He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. He needed to find her, but first, he needed to apologize to Olga for overreacting. "Listen, I'm sorry for being upset with you. I didn't understand everything that was going on, but now that I do, I don't exactly know _what_ to do. I don't know where she could be. Didn't you say that CPS hasn't found her at _all_? What about the police? How... how is that even _possible_ if she's on the streets right now?" His heart was pounding. _Helga...? Homeless...? Why_... _Why_ wouldn't she break through her stubbornness and just _ask_ him for a place to stay? Yes, with _him_. It didn't matter that she was his _ex_. Yes, there were no rooms available at the boarding house, and his parents _were_ still in recovery, but they would have figured out _something_ _. Anything_ was better than being _homeless_ and _missing_! He was in too much shock to cry, but he sure _felt_ like breaking down in tears, just like Olga was doing in front of him. Somehow, he _had_ to be the adult, he _had_ to be strong. The whole situation was _hopeless_ , just _hopeless...!_ How could he _ever_ find her if CPS and the police couldn't even do it? He spoke, "Oh boy, Olga... I... I don't even _know_ where to start looking for her, but I _promise_ that I will do my best to find Helga for you, and to make sure she has a place to stay, and that she's kept safe." He swallowed. He sure _did_ hope he could do it. Not only for Olga, but for _Phoebe's_ sake. They were _depending_ on him to make sure she was in a safe place.

The _last_ thing he wanted was for her to be homeless...

He would do it; he would _find_ her and make sure she had a safe place to stay... hopefully before CPS or the police did...

Olga sat up and hugged Arnold. "Oh, _please_ find her, Arnold, _please_! And let me know she's _safe_ when you find her! I don't want to lose my baby sister _foreve_ r!"

Arnold felt completely hopeless as Olga hugged him tightly, but he _knew_ what he had to do, in spite of the odds against him...

She was out in the city _somewhere..._

He just needed to find out _where..._

* * *

 _ **November 14th... Friday...**_

Gerald looked at Helga's desk that was still empty, and sighed. "Well Arnold, she's been absent for three days now. I'm guessing that things didn't go well at Olga's? Did you talk to her, or did Helga slam the door in your face?"

Arnold hadn't been saying much in class the last couple days, just trying to come up with some sort of solution to an unsolvable problem. "She's... not staying with Olga anymore. Olga told me she walked out."

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Walked out? How can she just _walk out_ of her home? You remember when _I_ did it, don't you? My parents were watching me like a _hawk_."

Arnold sighed because Gerald didn't understand. He decided he could admit it now because Child Protective Services and the police had already been called, and she wasn't staying in an abusive situation anymore. He whispered, "She was being abused..."

Gerald heard him alright. He was shocked, and shouted. " _What...!_ "

Their teacher, Mr. Frank, stood up from his desk and looked over at them with a frown on his face. "Gerald, I know you want to catch up with your friends _during_ school hours, but this is class time, and you need to focus on your reading."

"Sorry, Mr. Frank." As their teacher sat back down at his desk, Gerald continued reading his history book and glanced over at Arnold for a moment to ask him in a whisper, "What are you going to do, Arnold?"

Arnold sighed. He hadn't figured _that_ one out yet. He wanted to hunt for her whereabouts, but he needed some help. No way would he be able to find her by _himself_. She could be _anywhere_ in the whole city...

* * *

 _ **After class later that day...at the lockers...**_

Gerald looked at Arnold, incredulously. "You're kidding, right?"

Arnold shook his head. "I'm serious. We've _got_ to find her, Gerald. I can't focus on anything thinking that she's out there somewhere homeless with nowhere to go."

"Look, I get that you're trying to do _the right thing_ , and I feel bad too, but what chances do we have at finding one missing kid in the whole city? Shouldn't we let the _police_ find her?"

Arnold crossed his arms. "Helga doesn't want to be taken to Foster Care."

"But... what can _we_ do? And what are you going to do if we even _do_ find her, ask her to stay with you when she wants nothing to do with you? You _are_ her ex, Arnold."

"I know, but I _am_ going to ask her to stay with me."

"Arnold, you're crazy... but since she really means _that_ much to you, I'll help you look for her."

"Thanks Gerald."

"Don't mention it, seriously, _don't_ mention it. I know as soon as we find her, she's probably going to bite _both_ our heads off for even looking for her."

Arnold nodded. "I realize this, but it's a risk I have to take. Her safety's more important than _anything_ , Gerald."

"Whatever you say, Arnold." As they walked out of the school and across the street, Gerald asked him, "Where did you want to start searching anyway?"

"I guess... I guess we can always start with the park. She could..." He struggled with his next sentence, not even wanting to think about the possibilities. "She could... always be sleeping on the pink bench or under the trees, I guess." He looked down at the ground, sadly.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to searching then." Gerald said.

* * *

 _ **At the park that day...**_

"Well, Arnold, she's not on the pink bench, and she's not under any of these trees."

"I know. I guess we should try somewhere else, then."

"Hey, what's that over there?" Gerald put a hand above his eyes to see ahead, in spite of the sun being in his face.

The boys walked over to the sidewalk leading to the park to find Lila in a new green dress with a small pocket book, and Rhonda, laughing about something Lila was saying. As the boys got closer, they could make out what they were talking about...

Lila said to her **,** "I really miss being in the same class with you, Rhonda, but did you _really_ play football with the boys all the way until fourth grade? Do you mean that you didn't mind playing in the rain and getting covered in mud? I'm certain that I couldn't do anything of the sort. I never wanted to get any of my outfits dirty, especially considering father didn't always have the money to wash and dry them."

Rhonda nodded. "Well, Lila. I'm normally _not_ one to admit things, but as much as Nadine _begs_ me to go bug hunting with her every year, I suppose _some_ of her country ways _have_ rubbed off on me."

It was then that the girls noticed Arnold and Gerald approaching them. Lila spoke, "Hello, Arnold. Hi, Gerald. A pleasant surprise to see the both of you this afternoon. What are you doing in the park? Did you both decide to enjoy the autumn weather like us? Gosh, its beautiful, isn't it?"

Arnold sighed, rubbing his arm nervously. Although he was _over_ Lila, he hadn't seen her since before the trip to San Lorenzo. She didn't know he and Helga had kissed that summer _or_ dated. He felt awkward, especially since she probably still thought he _liked her-liked her_. "Hey, Lila. Um, have you or Rhonda happened to see Helga around the park today?"

Gerald added. "She's been missing from school the last few days and nobody seems to know where she is."

Rhonda thought a moment, and replied, "I _have_ noticed her oddly absent lately. Isn't she always in school no matter what? She's like Phoebe when it comes to missing time." She glanced at Gerald. "Now that I think about it, Phoebe and her haven't been talking a lot either. What's going on?"

Lila was listening in, and grew concerned. "What's wrong, Arnold? Is everything alright?"

Arnold sighed and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Phoebe told me she was staying with Olga, but Olga's fiancé was abusing her and she ran away." Arnold looked down in defeat, feeling hopeless all over again. If Helga _ever_ found out _just_ how many people he was telling that she was previously _abused_ , he was guessing that she would _kill_ him, but how else would he explain to everyone _why_ Helga ran away?

Rhonda blinked in shock at Arnold's words. "You're _kidding_ me? I had no _idea_ that Helga had it that rough. Then again, if I would have known that, I would have... well... _maybe_ not put out so many rumors about her odd behavior lately."

Arnold looked at Rhonda with narrowed eyes, then he turned to Gerald, and Gerald shrugged. "We didn't know Helga was going through all that, either. I actually feel _sorry_ for the girl. Maybe she actually has a _reason_ for being a bully."

Lila sighed. "I wish there was something more we could do for her. Arnold, would you mind if Rhonda and I accompanied you and Gerald to try to find Helga?"

Arnold nodded. "Thank you, Lila. That would be helpful of you guys."

Gerald put a hand on his chin in thought as the group started to walk out of the park. "So, where else might she be besides the park? Where would a homeless kid hangout and _not_ be found by the police or CPS?"

Rhonda asked. "What about _Mighty Pete?_ All of us used to hang out there. Maybe Helga made _that_ a home for herself instead of being homeless. It would _surely_ explain how she hasn't been found yet."

Arnold nodded. "Good idea, Rhonda. It's very possible Helga remembered Mighty Pete and decided to make a shelter there for herself, away from any possible bad weather."

Lila was confused. "I don't think I've ever heard of _Mighty Pete_ before, Arnold. What is that?"

Arnold said, "It's a tree-house the guys and I discovered in second grade. We decided to make it a second home, a place we could hang out, away from all the adults. Today, we still use it occasionally to talk and play cards-"

"-Not to mention we saved it from being torn down from Helga's dad _himself_."

Arnold added, "Don't forget _Nick_."

Gerald looked at his Wacko watch a moment before turning to Arnold again. "Well, what are we all waiting for? It's 5 o'clock, so let's get going."

* * *

 _ **At Mighty Pete...**_

Arnold and Gerald heard mumbling in the tree-house, and glanced at each other in curiosity before making their way up. Arnold was hoping against _anything_ that it was Helga, and that she was okay.

Lila looked at Rhonda, who slowly made her way up next, as if she'd been in the tree-house a couple times herself, and Lila walked up after her, very carefully, not wanting to lose her balance.

Arnold, Gerald, Rhonda, and Lila froze when they saw Harold, Sid, and Stinky sitting around a small brown table, cards in their hands.

Sid stood up. "Arnold, it's about time you got here. We were just about to start without you, but what's with the _girls?_ This was supposed to be a _boy's only_ card game."

Arnold sighed. "Sorry, Sid. I forgot all about our Friday afternoon card games. I've had a lot on my mind-"

"-Like your widdie girlfriend... A ha-ha-ha... Arnold and Helga, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S in a tree, A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

Stinky scratched his head, and stood up as well. "Lila, what are _you_ doing here? I reckon I haven't seen you since this summer. Did you move away?"

Lila shook her head. "No, Stinky. I went back to my home in the country to spend the rest of the summer instead of with the class in San Lorenzo. They put me in a different sixth grade class for this school year as well."

Stinky sighed. "Man, that really bites."

Sid spoke up, "So, what are you _girls_ doing here? Arnold, you didn't bring them to play cards with us, did you?"

Arnold narrowed his eyes at Sid. "No, _Sid_ , and I know _now_ that we were _supposed_ to play cards today, but I forgot about our game. We can play cards next week **,** though. Right now, we're trying to find Helga. She's been missing for a few days. We don't know _where_ she is. She was staying with Olga, but she ran away."

Stinky looked at Arnold and asked **,** "Why on earth would she do _that?"_

Sid curiously asked, "I thought she moved into the Beeper Emporium in fifth grade, how did she end up at Olga's?"

Arnold sighed, looking down at the ground. "They lost the business."

"Boy howdy, that's insane! So, your _ex-girlfriend_ that broke up with you three times now is living on the street? I guess it's true what they say about karma, huh Arnold?"

Nobody seemed to react to _that_ news except for Arnold, who narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. He glanced at Rhonda.

Rhonda cleared her throat nervously. "Okay, okay, I'll be _honest_ , they _did_ date, but they only dated during the _summer_. It was some sort of summer romance. Helga told me _all_ about it."

Lila's eyes lit up and she smiled at Arnold. "Aw, that's so _romantic_ , Arnold!"

Gerald raised an eyebrow at Rhonda. "And you know that's _not_ the truth, either, right?"

Lila blinked. "It's not?"

Arnold took a deep breath as everyone turned to him. It was now or never. He needed to tell _all_ of them the truth, even though it _hurt_. He was so _sick_ of all the rumors going around from Rhonda about him and Helga. He explained what happened to them. "Gerald, Helga, and I went looking for my parents when we managed to escape from La Sombra's lair. Everyone but Lila knows this because if it wasn't for Helga's encouragement to help me, we might _still_ be stuck as prisoners." He didn't want to think about it, so he continued, "A...Anyway, Helga used a personal item of hers to save my parents' lives from the sleeping sickness they had for over _eight years_." He left out the part about the item being her locket, figuring that Helga would want to tell them in her _own_ time. "And yes, we _did_ end up kissing before boarding the airplane back to Hillwood, but we _only_ kissed in San Lorenzo; the both of us weren't ready to put a label on our relationship yet. We knew that we cared about each other but we didn't start _dating_ until my birthday in October. She actually broke up with me three weeks later, but we _only_ broke up _once."_ Arnold gave Rhonda a look, and she giggled nervously.

Lila sighed. "That's ever so sad, Arnold. Why did you guys break up? You guys seem like you would be an oh-too-adorable couple."

Sid interrupted, looking at Harold angrily. "Harold, no fair, Rhonda was _lying_. I want my five bucks!"

Harold whined. "Aw, no she wasn't, and who says _Arnold's_ telling the truth to you?"

Arnold sighed, interrupting all of them, and sounding a bit angry too. "Look everyone, the reason I came here is to try to find Helga, but since she isn't here right now, I have to go and look somewhere _else_ before it gets too late. She's possibly _homeless_ right now, and if possible, I _don't_ want her to spend another night out on the streets."

Stinky blinked in shock. " _Whillikers!_ Is she really homeless, Arnold?"

Arnold nodded. "Yes, Stinky. I'm afraid that she probably is."

Harold whined again. "Aw, who cares about _Helga?!_ All she's done is pick on us our whole lives!" Rhonda glared at him a moment, and Harold shut his mouth immediately and looked down, as if she had some sort of influence over him.

Rhonda spoke, "Harold, we are _both_ going to look for Helga and make _sure_ she's all right!"

Harold's eyes widened at her. "We... we _are?_ But... _Rhonda!"_

Rhonda nodded. "No buts, Harold. What I say goes, _remember?_ "

Harold stood up. "Alright, alright, I get it. I'll help you guys look for her."

"Seriously, Harold?" Sid said, wondering why Harold was all of a sudden listening to _Rhonda._ "We were going to start a _game_ here, what _gives?"_

Stinky said, "I've gotta admit, I'm worried about _Ms. Helga_ too. I sure hope she does have a place to stay and isn't out there on the streets."

Arnold turned to Sid. "Well, are you coming with us, Sid?"

Sid looked at all of them, and sighed. "Six against one, I might as well. I'm kind of curious where she's staying too. The _last_ thing I'm able to picture is a strong **-** willed kid like Helga Pataki homeless with nowhere to go."

Stinky nodded. "It's a sorry state of affairs, that's for sure. Sure hoping we find her safe and sound."

Arnold nodded. "Me too, Stinky. Me too."

Gerald spoke up, "So... any ideas where _else_ she could be? We checked the park already."

Lila sadly spoke up, "I hate to even suggest this, but if Helga really lost her home, she _could_ be staying at a homeless shelter. My... daddy and I had to stay at one a few times, when we were behind on rent and he lost his job."

Stinky sighed. "I didn't know that happened to you, _Ms. Lila_. Are you okay?"

Lila sighed. "I'm okay, Stinky. I just don't like to talk about these things. A homeless shelter is the _furthest_ thing from a home. It _does_ give you a shelter and a meal, but that's about all it offers, especially when your foundations are taken out from right under you. It's one of the _worst_ things to go through."

Arnold looked at her sadly and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear you went through that, Lila, but I think you're right about Helga staying at a shelter. She probably _is_ staying at a homeless shelter right now."

Gerald said to all of them, "Well, let's go. It's what... _six o'clock_ right now?"

Sid added, "But... where are we _going?_ I don't know any homeless shelter around here, do you guys?"

Everyone shook their heads, except Lila. She rubbed one of her arms nervously. Arnold let go of her shoulder as she took out her pocketbook and pulled out a small piece of paper from it. "Well... I _might_ be able to help there as well. Daddy gave me the address. He's... he's a bit paranoid since the _last_ time he lost his job, and wants us to be prepared if it happens again... and we lose the house." She handed the piece of paper to Arnold as he smiled weakly at her.

"Thank you, Lila." Lila nodded silently and looked away sadly as Arnold looked over the directions. "You know what? I think that's actually right down the street. Come on **,** you guys, let's get going!"

So Arnold and his friends made their way to the homeless shelter, searching for Helga...

* * *

 _ **Homeless Shelter...**_

As soon as they arrived, the group slowly made their way in the open door. Arnold, Gerald, Sid, Stinky, Harold, Rhonda, and Lila was the last one, who had tears in her eyes as she walked in to see all those homeless people sitting in beds with nothing but their clothes on them. Stinky put his hand on Lila's shoulder to offer some sort of comfort in the mist of an awful situation.

Gerald turned to Arnold, as he saw a familiar face. "Well, Arnold, I don't see Helga, but I _do_ see somebody in this place that _might_ be able to help us out. Look over there," he pointed. "Isn't that...?"

Arnold's eyes widened as he saw her: It was _Miriam_. "That's... that _has_ to be Miriam, Helga's mother. You're right, Gerald. She's _got_ to know where her daughter is."

Rhonda looked at Arnold. "Um, are you _sure_ about that, Arnold? I mean, if _she's_ in a homeless shelter herself then obviously _she_ didn't have a place to go, either."

Gerald replied to them, "Well, only _one_ way to find out. Come on, Arnold, let's go talk to Miriam."

All of a sudden, Lila burst in tears. She was having bad memories of her and her parents living in one of those places when she was three.

Rhonda hugged her gently as Stinky replied. "It's okay, Lila. You're not living here right now, and at least these people got shelter to protect them from the cold."

Lila tried to reply through the tears, "It's the memories, Stinky. It reminds me oh-too-much of the first time we were homeless."

Arnold stopped his thoughts a moment and looked away from Miriam to notice Lila crying. "Lila? Are you okay?"

Lila wiped her tears and said, sadly, "I don't think I can be here right now. It's making me think of the past."

Arnold replied, "Guys, do me a favor and walk Lila home. Keep her company while I talk to Miriam. I don't want her here if it triggers bad memories."

Lila wiped her tears with her hands before looking at Arnold, and saying, "I'm sorry, Arnold, really, I'm fine it's just... just..." She still wanted to help Arnold look for Helga, in spite of the tears in her eyes.

Arnold could see the compassion in her eyes and replied softly, "Don't worry about it, Lila, this is something I need to do on my own. Helga's mom might be afraid to vent everything going on to _all_ of us, and I really need to find out what's going on."

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Are you _sure,_ Arnold? She doesn't exactly _look_ like talking."

Arnold nodded. "I'm sure. You guys go ahead. I'll talk to you tomorrow in school."

As Lila, Rhonda, Stinky, Sid, and Harold walked away, Gerald turned to look at Arnold one last time before he left with them. "Are you _sure_ you don't need me for backup, buddy?"

"It's okay, Gerald. Go on home. Maybe we can search again tomorrow if I can't find out where Helga is tonight."

They did their traditional handshake and then Gerald walked away

Arnold walked over to her, she didn't see him until he was beside her bed. He spoke gently, not knowing what to expect, "Hey, Mrs. Pataki."

Miriam looked up in surprise. "Hey there... aren't you... one of Helga's friend's from school?" She seemed sober, but she was shaking a bit. Arnold didn't understand _why_.

"Mrs. Pataki, are you okay? You seem like you're shivering pretty badly. Are you cold?"

Miriam nodded, "I'm cold, and then I'm hot. The shakiness comes and goes throughout the day. Some people here tell me it's normal. I can't get used to it. Funniest thing... Alfred, I haven't felt _this_ way since I stopped making smoothies before Helga was born." She laughed nervously.

Arnold didn't bother correcting his name, since she seemed so despondent. He looked down at the bed and noticed a blanket laying on it. He handed it over to her so that she could wrap it around her legs. She softly replied, "Thanks."

He sat down on the bed beside her and put a reassuring arm around her, at least he was _hoping_ it was a reassuring arm. He didn't exactly know what to do to _help_ her but he wanted to be there as much as he could for her while she was going through this. All of a sudden, he didn't feel comfortable asking Helga's mom about Helga when she was going through... whatever she was going through. What was this called again? _Withdraw?_ Arnold could only _guess._ He had never been through "withdraw" on _anything._

Miriam looked up at him a moment as the shivers running through her body started to die down. She asked him softly, "Have you seen Helga?"

Arnold didn't know whether to reply or not. What would be the _right_ thing to do? It was one thing to tell her mother that Helga was staying at Olga's, another to say she had _run away_ because she was being _abused_ by Olga's fiancé. He doubted it would help her. He nervously scratched his arm. "I, um... I don't exactly know where she's staying." It was a half-truth, but it was better than saying nothing.

Miriam spoke to herself, nonchalantly. "I mean, wherever she is, she _must_ be doing well if she hasn't bothered to come see me. Why _would_ she come see me, anyway? I've been such a terrible mother after all these years. Leaving my pocket book on the roof of the car every time we go out, forgetting to get groceries for the house, not ordering Helga a lunch to eat at school or even _packing_ her lunch when she was younger. It's no _wonder_ she hasn't wanted anything to do with me." She started crying softly. "All I have now are my memories, my memories and those stupid divorce papers they delivered yesterday. My family is gone."

Arnold didn't know _what_ to do or what to say. He wanted to help, _really_ wanted to help, but he was _clueless_ how to help her. He felt _awful_ about it. He sighed as he gently brought her into a reassuring hug. Even if he couldn't understand, he could _comfort_ her, right?

She started to cry on his shoulders. "Will you tell her to visit me when you see her again, Alfred? Will you tell her that her mother is trying to put off the smoothies for good? To change... for _her?"_ She continued speaking to Arnold as he let her go from the hug to just listen to what she was saying. "I've been sober for a _week_ now. A _week_ of nothing but headaches, body pains, shivers, nervousness, and depression. I want to be _there_ for my family now, at least the family I have left. I want to be there for _Helga_ and _Olga_ , and _Olga's fiancé_. I want to be a good mother for Helga, at least the time I have left of her childhood to be a parent, but I don't know _how_ to change. I'm a _terrible_ mother. I can't even remember what age she is, what grade she's in, or even when her _birthday_ is." She looked into Arnold's eyes. "Alfred, you're _always_ helping kids in the neighborhood. I see you all the time, and didn't you help save the neighborhood a couple years ago with my daughter? If you can save the _neighborhood_ maybe you can save _me_ from my _alcohol problem_. I could use all the help I can get turning away from it. I've tried just about _everything_ myself, but I still crave it so bad my body is in pain without it... help me, _Arnold!"_

At the end, she happened to get his name _right_ , and Arnold could do nothing but look back at her, in her honest eyes. Arnold could see the desperation and fear in her eyes, he could _tell_ she had a close call with _death_ , but now... how could he even _start_ to help her? She truly _wanted_ to be different, he could see that, but she didn't know _how_ and... she was asking for _his_ help. What... what could he do for her...

Arnold didn't _know_ how addiction worked, but he highly doubted she could change her behavior because of _Helga_. Could a person _really_ change their addictive behavior because of someone else? Didn't you have to _know_ why you were struggling with an addiction before changing it? And didn't you have to _substitute_ the addiction with _another_ addiction? He could only think of _one_ time he helped somebody out with an addiction, and _that_ was Chocolate Boy back in fourth grade. He knew he was in over his head when Chocolate Boy asked him, at the age of nine, for help not eating chocolate _ever again_ , but he _had_ to try to help him. Chocolate Boy practically _begged_ in the end. He _had_ to do _a lot_ of research on his own to try and help him out. First, he had to show Chocolate Boy the dangers of being addicted to chocolate, and then, he had to get Chocolate Boy to drain all the impurities from his addiction out of him so that the temptation to eat chocolate wouldn't be there anymore. Then, he had to find a substitute for Chocolate Boy to eat instead of chocolate, that way it would replace his need for it. _None_ of those things worked, _NONE OF THEM_ , and _that_ was what the professionals said. He _knew_ it was something deep **-** seated and psychological that made a person _addicted_ to something, but _what?_ Chocolate Boy was one of the _only_ cases he couldn't help, him going back to eating chocolate all the time less than a year later was very discouraging for Arnold. Arnold just didn't know _how_ to help. It was something you had to go through to understand. Addiction was a bit... _foreign_ to Arnold, to say the least... and he _hated_ not being able to help them, to help Olga with her ways in always choosing men that were bad for her, to help Miriam with her alcohol addiction, and most of all, to help Helga. Was _this_ why Helga insisted that he couldn't help her out with her problems the day they started dating? Because he didn't _understand_ them? He would give _anything_ to help Helga to stop her bullying ways, _anything_...!

He looked into Miriam's eyes, being honest with her. "Mrs. Pataki... the only way I know how to help you... or anyone... in a case of addiction like this, is to tell you to do _everything_ the doctors and therapists say. Even if it hurts or even if you want to drink again. They know how to cure you much better than I can. If you do everything they say, than Helga... _might_ see you are a better person, a better mother, and she _might_ want to come visit you-"

Miriam grabbed his shoulders in despair. "Please...Arnold... I NEED HELP NOW! I need somebody that understands what I'm going through! Not a doctor that's just going to give me pain pills to get rid of the withdrawal! Or tell me that I need to read books, or to be patient with myself or to even go through therapy again! I need somebody who struggled like I have to talk to, who understands exactly what I'm going through and who can walk me through this process! _NOTHING_ HAS BEEN ABLE TO CHANGE ME BEFORE: NO DOCTORS, NO MEDICINE, NOT EVEN HAVING MY FAMILY AROUND HAS HELPED ME WITH THIS _ALCOHOL ADDICTION_ I HAVE! I REALLY WANT TO BE THERE FOR THE FAMILY I HAVE LEFT! I _WANT_ TO BE THE PERSON THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE BEFORE I WAS SOBER, SINCE BEFORE _HELGA_ WAS BORN!"

Now, _now_ Arnold wished he kept Gerald there for backup. When Gerald said that Miriam didn't seem like talking, he didn't _think_ he meant she would be so _unstable._

Her head was pounding now from all her crying. She felt like giving up completely, like _dying._ "It's hopeless _, I'm_ hopeless! Not only can't _I_ change, but nobody wants to visit me, nobody wants anything to do with me anymore! If I was a stronger person I would be _able_ to conquer this myself, but there's no way that I can, now I'm just another divorce statistic that's not only homeless but has also lost her whole _family_ because of her stupid problems! I'm a _complete failure!"_

His head was pounding too, from _stress._ He was going to go _crazy_ if he didn't get out of there, and _fast!_ He didn't know what to do to help her but decided on something small. He slowly walked over to talk with one of the people in charge at the shelter to get them to go over to her and assist her. He was hoping maybe they could calm her down and help her feel better again. After seeing that Helga's mom had somebody else to talk to, he was exhausted. He was feeling defeated and worn out from everything, and he decided to head to the Safehouse to spend the night instead of taking the hour trip home. It was already 8 PM anyway. He would call his grandpa that night and let him know what was going on as soon as he got there.

He walked to the Safehouse. Hopefully he would be able to get everything off his chest that happened that day, from the talk with Olga about her abusive fiancé to the talk with Miriam about her alcohol addiction. He couldn't stop thinking that there were so many people in the world that needed help that he just... _couldn't_... It frustrated him _deeply._ He needed to relax, to think about something else. Hopefully the Safehouse would help him to get some much-needed rest.

As soon as he got to the Safehouse, he tried to pull open the green car door, but it was... _locked?_ Why was it locked at 8 PM? Actually, why was it locked at _all?_ Only the sixth graders knew about the Safehouse, (Wolfgang hadn't visited since Trash Can day) and they didn't spend the night there during the school week. Whoever was in there _needed_ to answer; he was too tired to take two buses home. He banged on the door, yelling, "Hello...? Is anyone in here?!"

He heard a familiar yet unexpected voice yell out to him, "Aw, criminy, Football Head. Can't you see I'm trying to get some shut-eye?!"

Arnold instantly brightened up, forgetting temporarily about all the stress from the day. "Helga?!"

Helga sat up from the sheets on the floor at Arnold's voice outside of her new _home,_ and blinked rapidly. "Wait a minute, what gives... _you're_ not supposed to be outside my door! You're not even _supposed_ to know where I am!"

"Open up! We need to talk! _Please_ , Helga?! It's important!" He was banging on the door again.

Helga walked over to the door and opened it to come face to face with...

Her ex-boyfriend...

Arnold Shortman...


	7. Chapter 7: Living with Helga

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. This chapter is **Teen** for conflict and drama. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Relaxing Pikachu:** Elk Island or Helga's old house I didn't think of, good guesses. Arnold _shouldn't_ have told anybody about Helga being abused, but I had him purposely tell them for this chapter, and yeah, he pays for it. They discuss their relationship in this chapter and they come up with a 'workable' solution. Thanks for the review!  
 **Ajay435:** Oh, she does _more_ than strangle him. Sad how Helga doesn't want his help, isn't it? Well, without saying too much, I have something planned... thanks for the review!  
 **The Jam:** At least he's wise enough to realize he's going to cause more harm than good by helping Miriam. Too bad he can't leave Helga alone. Thanks for the review!  
 **ForeverRogue:** This chapter is full of tender moments, enjoy it. Thanks for the review!  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks, and good idea there. Didn't think about him sending Miriam to Olga's. Oh well. I have something planned for Miriam later on. Thanks for the review!  
 **Guest(Review on March 26th)** 26 pages for your enjoyment. Thanks for the review! **  
Guest(Review on March 29th)** I wish I could say the other kids don't make fun of her, but Arnold and Helga do talk everything out...well, kind of lol. Thanks for the review!  
 **Guest(Review on April 1st)** That's explained in this chapter. Thanks for the review!

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Living with Helga**

Arnold stared into his ex-girlfriend's eyes, they were full of fear and anger. He was thankful he found her safe even if she _was_ angry with him. He walked in uninvited, too tired to take the bus home. Besides, he needed to talk to her.

She didn't appreciate his silence and scowled at him and started yelling, "What's _wrong_ with you?! Didn't I _tell_ you not to go looking for me?! Didn't I _tell_ you I didn't need your help?!" _Please, just leave, Arnold!_

Arnold turned to her hastily, all the _stress_ from the day starting to get to him. He whispered, harshly, "Helga, I don't know _where_ you get the idea that abuse is a matter to be taken lightly, but it _isn't_. I can't just _ignore_ one of my friends being hurt in their own home, that's not me. I wish you would've been _honest_ with me about the situation to begin with."

Helga growled, stomping over to him as he sat on the couch. "Why?! Is it so you could stick your nosy do-goodie ways into my personal business?" she breathed, admitting to him. "I don't know about _you_ , but I think solving everyone's problems is enough _stress_ for you to deal with, let alone solving _mine._ Would you _even know_ how to rescue me from an abusive situation? Come on, Mr. Problem Solver, give me an answer here!"

Arnold leaned back against the couch, feeling frustrated. It was bad enough he couldn't help Olga or Miriam, he didn't need a reminder that he would _never_ be able to help _her._ "So, you've been avoiding me, so I wouldn't report the abuse? How else were you supposed to get out of this situation, Helga!?"

Helga couldn't believe he would willingly report her to foster care. "And _that_ , Arnold-o, is _exactly_ why I didn't tell you anything! You want me to be taken _out-of-state_ and put in a home with a bunch of juvenile delinquents who don't know _anything!?"_

Arnold sat up and walked over. "Oh, come on Helga, foster care couldn't be _that_ bad."

She whispered sadly, "This just in, you don't _know_ it isn't that bad. That story I told you in class wasn't fake, it's _real,_ bucko. Kids all over the world go through it every day because a wet blanket like _you_ decides to do ' _the right thing'_ and report them. Do you have _any_ idea what goes on in those homes?"

Arnold shrugged. "Not exactly. What goes on in foster care?"

Helga sighed and walked over to the couch. After she sat down, she narrowed her eyes at Arnold, searching for something in them. Maybe that he would hold what she said in _strict confidence, maybe_ that she could _vent_ to him. She wasn't sure, but she didn't want to open up to him unless she felt _safe_ doing so. _Oh, my love, I want to tell you all my sorrows, but I'm afraid you'll look down on me or think of me as weak..._

Arnold walked over to her, sitting down beside her on the couch. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulders. "You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

Helga rubbed her arm and looked away. "You know, I'm not... _good_ being open about things."

Sensing a shift in the conversation, Arnold replied **,** "You _do_ realize the first step to change is admitting you have a problem?"

 _You have no idea, Arnold..._ Helga took a breath and decided to try to be honest. "You remember last May when Bob sold our house?"

"Wait, wasn't that when you guys moved into the Beeper Emporium?"

Helga sighed. "Bob didn't know how to shut his trap when he got the phone call. Miriam and he were screaming at each other all night! I think a neighbor reported something was going on, and the next morning, CPS was at our door. They pulled me aside and asked me a bunch of questions about Mom and Dad. Apparently, telling CPS the truth is one of the _worst_ things you can do. I was taken to foster care almost immediately. Too bad Miriam was too high on smoothies to care, and all I heard from Bob was, ' _This wouldn't have happened to Olga_ '. I was stuck there for two days until Olga took me home with her and I stayed _there_ until my so-called _parents_ moved in to the Beeper Emporium later that week. I've seen first-hand what happens in those places, and the autobiographies I've read on them, they don't do it justice."

Arnold was wide-eyed and shocked. "Wow, Helga. I... I had no _idea_ foster care was like that. Is _that_ why you were out from school that month for a week? I thought you had the _flu_." He was shocked.

"Did you _really_ think I would tell everyone what happened? Did you _think_ I wanted them to feel _sorry_ for me? I have good penmanship; I _had_ to write _some_ sort of excuse for Simmons that was believable. My parents sure the heck wouldn't have done it for me."

He whispered back and grabbed one of her hands to reassure her. "I am _so_ sorry that you had to go through that. I won't... I won't let that happen to you again, _ever_ , no matter what. I mean, even though you broke up with me, that doesn't mean I don't care-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second. _What_ did you say?"

Arnold said again, determined **,** "That I won't let you be sent to foster care, _ever_ again."

Helga held up a hand. "Not that part, Bucko, I'm talking about the part you said _I_ broke up with _you_."

"You did, didn't you? I mean, you made a big scene in the cafeteria last month."

 _So,_ _that's __why he hasn't been talking to me. Wait a minute, he thinks_ _I_ _ended the relationship?... Then that means..._ "But... I thought you broke up with _me!_ You stopped talking to _me!_ "

"That's because you told me to stay out of your life!" he exasperated, standing up. "I was trying not to get involved. You made it pretty clear you didn't want anything to do with me-"

She stood up as well. "And did you _see_ how many people were watching us? It's bad enough Rhonda has rumors going around in sixth grade, do you really _think_ I want everyone at P.S **.** 118 to know we're in a relationship?"

 _She never broke up with me, so that means were still together. But... wait a minute..._ "I thought the class already _knew_ about your love for me. The class saw your video closet when they helped you put together the project, right? I thought after that, you were done keeping it a secret."

"I've been nothing but _mean_ to them for eight years! Do you _really_ think they're going to let go of the chance to mock me back, or worse, use _you_ as bait for my feelings? One word of convincing from _them_ , and you'll cut me out of your life completely!"

Arnold narrowed his eyes. "Helga, _you're_ the one that's been cutting _me_ out of _your_ life, and no one thinks so ill of you. In fact, after visiting Olga and finding out what happened, some of the class even _helped_ me look for you. Lila and Rhonda felt awful, and I don't think Sid, Stinky, and Harold are holding what you've done in the past to them against you either."

Helga closed her eyes stubbornly. "I don't believe that for a minute unless..." Her eyes shot open. "Wait a minute, _what_ did you tell them about me? _Why_ did they even show an interest in me?! You didn't tell them about the _abuse_ , did you?" she growled, walking over to him, ready to hit him. "If you even so spoke a word of it, I _swear_ , I'll..."

"Wait, Helga, please, let me explain...!" he was backing up towards the wall as she stomped towards him.

"You've got _five_ seconds before Old' Betsy comes out of retirement! The police are probably looking for me now, _and_ CPS!" she growled. "For crying out loud Arnold, you _really_ know how to mess things up!" Maybe she _should_ have broken up with him, it would have made things _a lot_ easier on her.

"Helga, I didn't call CPS _or_ the police! _Olga_ called them because you left the house in the middle of the night! She didn't know _where_ you were and needed help finding you. As for the abuse, I only told a few people because you were out of the situation, plus you were _homeless,_ and I needed some help finding you. I couldn't let you stay on the streets!"

In an instant, she was up against his face. Fire burning in her eyes. " _Who..._ exactly... did you _tell?!_ "

Arnold's heartbeat increased. He wasn't sure if it was out of fear or being so close to her. He heatedly whispered as soon as he could think. "...Gerald, Rhonda, and Lila."

The next thing Arnold knew was that he was on the floor, unable to see out of his right eye when he opened his left one. Then, he felt a rag and cold water being applied gently to his painful right eye. Out of his left eye, he could barely make out Helga on the right of him, soaking a rag in cold water, and looking at him with regret in her eyes.

She said, "Sorry... Arnold. I guess being hit didn't exactly help with my own aggressive tendencies, huh?"

Arnold winced as she applied the rag again over his swollen black eye. "I can't exactly _blame_ you for it. Listen, I'm sorry for telling a few people what happened. It wasn't my business to say _anything_."

She closed her eyes sadly. "I'm a basket case already, it's not like they're going to think any _worse_ of me."

Arnold replied. "I think they respect you now more than anything, Helga. They realize what you've been through and that it's made you a stronger person. They also might understand why you bully others."

She sighed, as she was now starting to feel bad about hitting her love. Even despite what he did, he didn't deserve to be physically _hurt_ because of it. He was only trying to _help_ her. She remembered the resolve to change she made a month ago and sighed. "How am I a stronger person, Arnold? I can't stop taunting and ridiculing others. I obviously can't stop bullying _you_."

Arnold shrugged. His eye was starting to feel a bit better. "I'm sure it's not easy to change."

"How would _you_ know? _You've_ never bullied anyone before."

Arnold sighed. "I wish I could tell you that was true."

Helga raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding me? When was _this_ , in your _dreams?"_

Arnold sighed. "I got mugged a couple years ago in a dark alleyway. My grandparents didn't want me going through that again, so Grandma taught me karate. I kind of got in over my head and started using my karate skills everywhere. I didn't realize it was a problem until I struck a man down just for asking me a question. The point of the lesson Grandma gave me was not to go looking for trouble, but to know how to react when you come across it."

 _So,_ _that's_ _why he was going off on everyone a couple years ago..._ She remembered silently. "Too bad I don't know how to stop myself from _reacting_ **,** " she said, feeling discouraged. "I _want_ to change, I really do, but... I don't know where to start!" she looked down sadly. Even on the edge of homelessness, she couldn't stop being mean to people.

Arnold spoke, cautiously. "I really want to help you out, that is, if you _let_ me help you out with your aggressive tendencies."

Helga narrowed her eyes. "Come on, Arnold. Be realistic. So, you've had a taste of the bullying side, _big deal_. You bullied others for _what?_ A _day?_ Try eight years of repeated behavior, of reacting to every single spit wad, insult, nickname, sneer, put down, mockery, condescension, and being treated like a baby, the only way you know _how_ : by replying with nicknames, sneers, spit wads, insults, put downs, mocking, condescending, and treating others like babies, or servants, at the very least. Ever done _that?_ No, you _haven't_. You're too busy sticking your nose where it doesn't belong and offering help that no one wants, and now you're offering to help _me_ when you know you _can't_ , because you have _never_ gone through what I have, not by a long-shot."

Arnold sighed. "Well, I can't _help_ you, but I wish I could understand enough to give you the advice you need to help yourself."

Helga looked into his eyes and sighed when she saw again what she did to his right eye. She sure wished that she _could_ help herself. She paused before speaking, trying to sound more compassionate than she had been acting. "Look, Arnold, I appreciate the sentiments, but it's hopeless. It would take a miracle to change myself. Dr. Bliss even told me I'd need to work with cognitive behavioral therapy to change, not to mention finding another outlet to take my aggression out on."

Arnold raised an eyebrow and questioned curiously. "Cognitive behavioral therapy, what is _that?_ "

Helga sighed. "Just shrink talk for fixing distorted thoughts. She seems to think the way I react has to do with my negative thoughts. Big whoop, if my mind was really _that_ screwed up **,** wouldn't a couple of lessons do the trick? Ten cognitive distortions, three sets of paperwork. You would _think_ at that point I would get it, right? Nothing like writing your messed **-** up thoughts down on paper, labeling them with the distortions, and changing them around. Whoever came up with _that_ idea needs _their_ head examined: It's a bunch of baloney! You _can't_ change your thoughts, they just revert to where they were _before! Nobody_ can change their thoughts! And about the aggression, I've tried sewing as an outlet instead, it didn't work. I've tried school activities, didn't work either. Even focused on wrestling, writing, and drawing. It didn't do a _thing_ for me. Sure, it would change me for a few days, but then I'd be right back where I started; punching or threatening Harold for making fun of me, being mean to Rhonda for being so stuck up and demanding that I follow in her footsteps, or taunting _Li-la_ for being so _perfect_ all the time, or even _you_ , for being so nosy and a know-it-all when all you want to do is... well, _help_ me. Heck, I even tried a love potion to force away my feelings of _you_ , that way I would quit ridiculing you. It didn't work either." She blinked in realization. "Actually, that _did_ work, but I felt _empty_. I couldn't handle not being angry at you all the time. I guess... this is just a part of me now." She looked down in sadness. "I guess I'm always going to be Helga G **.** Pataki: the bully, the aggressor, the tormentor, anything but _nice_. Anything but strong enough to overcome _myself._ "

Arnold looked down, realizing then just how deeply Helga struggled with her bullying ways, and dismissed the subject. He wouldn't be able to help her. Just like _all_ the others, all he could do was be there to comfort her. As Arnold looked into her blue eyes, she looked into his green ones. Arnold spoke softly, "Helga... can I?"

Helga didn't know what the question was. "Can you...?"

"Hug you. Is it okay if I put my arms around you?" he _had_ to ask. The _last_ thing he wanted was to be hit again. He didn't know if her protective walls were up now or not.

Helga's eyes widened before she nodded weakly. "I don't see why not. You _are_ my boyfriend, right?"

"Right," Arnold agreed. He smiled weakly as he wrapped his arms around her and Helga allowed herself to be comforted. Arnold felt his heart racing, but ignored it as he focused on comforting his girlfriend that was in his arms. He wanted to take her sadness away. He whispered to her, "I'm sorry."

"What for? This isn't _your_ fault, Arnold. This is my _parents'_ doing. Bob's the one that decided to sell the business and move out of state, Miriam's the one that got hooked on all the smoothies, Olga's the one that allowed her abusive fiancé to move in with her. How is _any_ of this your fault?"

While he was comforting her, he decided it may not be the best time to tell her about Miriam. Arnold pulled back from the hug, holding her shoulders tightly, and looking into her eyes. "Helga, I'm supposed to be your _boyfriend_. I'm supposed to be able to protect you from these things, maybe even to _prevent_ them from happening. We've barely been together a month and I've already failed you."

" _Failed_ me?" she grabbed his hands one by one to take them off her shoulders and hold them gently. "Arnold, you've done nothing for the past eight years but encourage me to keep _going_. _You're_ the one that's been there for me, no matter _what_. It didn't matter how much I picked on you, you _never_ gave up on me. Since I met you at the age of three, you've done nothing but shine some light on my life. Light that shined amid an empty and dark home, that had no family to love me. Nobody cared _except_ for you. You gave me unconditional love that helped mend the hole in my heart. Without you, I would have _never_ known love. I would feel an even deeper emptiness than I feel right now! You're all I have in this world."

Arnold squeezed her hands as he looked at her. "That's... deep, Helga. _Very_ deep. I didn't know I was the only one to ever show you love. It's... kind of ironic that you would mention there's a hole in your heart. I... kind of know how that feels."

Helga broke the romantic moment by letting go of his hands and scowling at him. "You have _got_ to be kidding me. You found you _parents_ , you have a _home_ , heck **,** you have everything you've longed for since you were a _baby!_ What more did you want _now?"_

Arnold sighed as he got up and walked over to the covers on the floor. Gerald didn't understand why he felt so empty. If his _best friend_ didn't understand the hole in his heart, she sure wouldn't after everything that happened in San Lorenzo. "Never mind. We can talk more in the morning. It's getting late and I'm getting tired. Are there extra quilts in the Safehouse I can use?"

She blinked. He wasn't avoiding the subject _that_ easily, especially after initiating _her_ to admit stuff. "It's ten o **'** clock on a Friday night, Arnold-o. We've got _all_ night to talk, and I've just bared _my_ soul to _you_ , so... start talking."

He sighed as he looked up at her. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope, Mr. Persistent, I'm _not_." She crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'm going to be _just... like... you_."

"Okay, how about this. You get some extra covers for us to sleep with, I'll call my Grandpa and let him know I'm spending the night at the Safehouse, and then we can meet back in here. After that, we can talk."

Helga nodded. "Works for me."

She went into the closet to pull out some quilts and sheets for them as Arnold used the safehouse phone to call his Grandpa and let him know he was spending the night out.

After they met back in the main room, Arnold and Helga wrapped the covers around themselves tightly and laid on the floor, their heads held up by a comforter, facing each other. Arnold spoke softly, "Where will you _stay? Please_ don't tell me you're planning on living _here_."

She felt his warm breath against her face and it made her sigh. _Oh, Arnold, my love. Always the shining knight to a helpless damsel in distress..._ she blinked, snapping herself out of it. _Keep it together Helga ol' girl, he's asking you a question, doi!_ She shrugged lightly. "Why not? I've got everything I need here. Canned foods, refrigerator, stove, privacy, covers to sleep with, plus I can wash cars and rake leaves to bring in enough money to buy clothes. It's _perfect."_

Arnold grabbed a hand of hers underneath the covers. "You're supporting _yourself._ But... you're way too young to be living by yourself underground, and..." _And it's way too cold for her to live here, she'll get sick quick_ , he thought, shivering. Underground was colder than above ground, and as his body temperature dropped from being tired, he could tell the difference.

Helga shivered a bit, but she wasn't sure if it was from the cold, or him being so close. She sighed lightly and whispered back, "So _what_ , it's a _home_ , right?"

Arnold replied, "Home is where your _family_ is, home is where you feel _safe._ If somebody breaks in the windows here, who will protect _you?_ If you stay here this winter, how will you stay _warm?_ I don't want you staying here when you have other alternatives."

Helga rolled her eyes. "What _alternatives?_ I don't see anyone _else_ offering me a place to stay."

It was then Arnold _knew_ he needed to ask. While she was willing to except the help from him. "Stay with _me_ , in the Boarding House. Live with me and my family. You'll be safe there, and you won't have to earn money to survive. You can live without being the adult, my parents can take care of you."

 _Stay with... him? Oh, my little Football Headed love God, oh how I lo..._ She blinked, and then she felt like slapping him when she remembered something he said. "Wait a minute, Football Head, don't your parents need _jobs_ to support me, and they need _money_ from me to rent a room! Didn't you tell me they're _unemployed?_ "

Arnold sighed, figuring she would be stubborn about it. "My parents started working at the hospital a month ago, so we _have_ money. As for renting a room, you won't have to worry about that, either, because there's no available rooms to rent." _Come on, Helga. You have nowhere else to go..._

Helga laughed bitterly. "So, where do you plan on me sleeping, the _floor?_ I can do that _here._ Face it, Arnold-o, it's a _stupid_ idea."

He raised his hands to grab her shoulders and look deeply into her eyes. "Stay in _my_ room. You can sleep on my couch until my parents can get you a bed. You won't need to worry about moving out of state or foster care taking you in. You'll have a _shelter,_ a _home_."

Helga's eyes widened, but not in happiness, in _fear_. The last _home_ she had, she was _abused_. The home before that she was only able to stay a _month_. What would be so different at _Arnold's_ home _?_ Besides, why would they let Arnold's girlfriend stay in the same room with their 12-year-old son? What kind of parent would be that irresponsible, after not seeing their son for over 10 years? "News flash, I don't care _how_ kind your family is, eventually they're going to need money from me, right?"

He sighed; she was _still_ making excuses. " _Please,_ Helga? If you don't want the couch, I can sleep there. _You_ can sleep on my bed."

"And another thing, Bucko, what makes you think your parents are going to let your _girlfriend_ stay in your room with _you?_ Surely you can't be _that_ naive."

But he was and said,"They know I'm responsible. We're not going to fight and argue all the time, right?"

"That's not what I...!" she stopped. It was a hopeless cause trying to explain it to him, and she didn't want to get into it. "You know what? Never mind."

"Besides," Arnold continued, unaffected by her random outburst. "Everyone at the boarding house thinks you're my _ex._ I told my Grandpa and my parents you broke up with me."

Helga was still trying to argue reasons why it would _never_ work living with him. "And also, if you even _think_..." she blinked in surprise. "What? You told your family I'm not your girlfriend?" _This might actually work..._

Arnold nodded, starting to explain, "You know I thought you ended it, right? It wasn't exactly easy to keep it to myself. I needed somebody to talk to, so I told my parents. I didn't know what went wrong in our relationship so fast. Plus, you would've been my first real _breakup_." Thinking about it still made his heart hurt, and that's when he decided to tell her... "Helga, you know when I told you earlier that I had a hole in my heart? Well, I didn't know it was still there until after my parents went to talk to me that day. They didn't know _how_ to be parents to me, didn't know _how_ to comfort me from the breakup, they didn't even know _what_ to say **,** " he huffed. "I know I should be grateful to have them back in my life, and I _am_ , but sometimes I think they look at me as a two-year-old instead of a twelve-year-old. I lost _so_ many years with them, and I'll never get them back," he let go of her, closing his eyes in pain. "I may _have_ my parents here physically, but emotionally I'm... all alone. Completely alone."

Helga looked into his eyes, seeing a few tears glistening in them, and her heart broke.

Arnold continued. "Do you know what I did that week to move on from the end of our relationship? I walked. That's all I did. The days I didn't walk, I slept. I also had nightmares when I slept. Nightmares of my parents leaving again and going off on another mission with Eduardo. I was having nightmares _twice a week_ since we'd gotten back from the trip, I've been having them almost _every day_ since we ' _broke up_ '. My grandparents keep telling me the nightmares will end, and my parents can only reassure me that everything's fine. Everything _isn't_ fine, Helga. _Nothing_ stops the nightmares. Three months of them and they've only gotten _worse._ Sometimes I fall off the bed and wake up in a deep sweat. Other times, I'm afraid to walk downstairs because the dreams feel so real, and I really think they're gone again. I... I don't know _what_ to do with this... I've... never been very good at solving my own problems, only everyone else's. I want to reassure my mind that my parents are _here_ , but I still feel like they're _not_. I want to remind myself that I have _adults_ to look after me and to take care of the world around me, but I _don't_. My parents are in therapy right now to take care of _themselves_ , but who's here to help _me_ while they help themselves? No one. I have to take care of myself. That's... _that's_ what hurts so badly. _That's_ what I mean when I say I feel like... like there's a hole in my heart. I just... I don't know what to do... I feel... I feel..." he struggled with words; the tears started to fall down.

Helga was shocked. "Criminy." And wrapped her arms around him automatically.

"Helga, I..." he started to shed tears lightly and was trying to apologize for crying and telling her _everything_ that was bothering him, when she interrupted his thoughts.

"Don't... even... say it. Just... just _cry_ , Arnold. Let everything out."

And he let the tears fall onto the sheets surrounding them, and on her shoulders. Helga didn't seem to care. She let her boyfriend cry on her shoulders. To grip her hands in pain, to rest his head on her shoulders, and finally, to fall asleep in her arms.

After that, _she_ couldn't sleep. She was _going_ to move in with him now, _just_ to look after him...

 _My poor tortured creature..._

* * *

 **Saturday** **,** **November 15th... 1 PM.**

It was afternoon by the time Arnold and Helga made it back to his house.

As Arnold walked up to the door, he warned Helga **,** "Stand back, Grandma has _a lot_ of pets, Helga."

Helga rolled her eyes. "And that doesn't surprise me _at all_."

A bunch of dogs and cats ran out the door, and then Abner, to Arnold's surprise. "Abner? What's wrong, boy, where are you going?"

Abner turned to Arnold, squealed a bit, and then ran off.

Helga raised an eyebrow at Arnold as he shrugged lightly and walked in the living room with Helga. She asked **,** "What's wrong with your pig?"

Arnold said **,** "I don't know. He's been acting strange ever since the trip to San Lorenzo. This is about the fifth time he's left, and then came back."

As they walked into the kitchen, he saw his parents working together to make lunch.

Stella replied as she heard them walking in **,** "Arnold, is that you? We were just wondering when you were coming home. Your grandfather told us you spent the night out yesterday." And then she turned around and saw him and Helga. "Sweetheart, what happened to your eye? Is everything okay? Do you need to talk about anything?" she was worried now and about to get her medical kit.

"Mom, mom, it's okay, I just..." seeing the scowl Helga gave him, he sighed. "I just... fell and hurt myself. Helga noticed and helped me out."

Helga smacked her head, he was a _terrible_ liar.

Miles smiled at the two of them. "Good to see your back from your adventures, son, but be careful getting those battle wounds, they don't look handsome. And _Helga_ , what a surprise to see you here. Would you guys like some cereal? you can take it in the family room and watch cartoons. A bowl of cereal and cartoons, that was _lit_ at our age, Sport."

Helga raised an eyebrow at Arnold as he sighed and walked over to sit down at the table. She walked over to sit down beside him, and Arnold said. "Mom, Dad, I needed to talk to you. Helga needs a place to stay, she, uh..."

Helga said simply, "My home was sold, and my family moved out of state. I'm homeless."

Stella and Miles glanced at each other in surprise. Wasn't this their sons _ex_? The _last_ thing they expected to hear was that she was _homeless_. Miles looked at Arnold. "Are you okay if she stays with us, son? We don't have any rooms here and I wouldn't want her out on the streets, but from what I understand, she's also your _ex_. Would you be alright with her staying in your room right now?"

Arnold automatically started to reply. "She's not my... OWWWWWW..."

Helga cleared her throat right after kicking his leg. "Arnold doesn't care, we talked about it last night in the Safehouse."

Arnold narrowed his eyes at her as Stella and Miles turned away to whisper to each other privately a moment.

Arnold whispered to her **,** "You didn't have to _kick_ me."

"How _else_ would you have shut up? They're _not_ going to let me stay here if they _know_ I'm your girlfriend, trust me on that."

"I think you're being paranoid, we need to be honest-"

"-You don't want me _homeless_ , right? Then pipe down and let _me_ handle this, okay?"

Arnold rolled his eyes in aggravation just as his parents turned around to speak again. Stella said **,** "I want to say yes, but I would need to talk with Helga a bit before deciding."

That was the last thing Helga expected to hear. "Huh?"

Miles laughed nervously. "Also, Dad. Stella, we've _got_ to mention it to Dad."

Stella sighed. "After all the animals your parents let stay here, and you think they're going to care about _Helga_ living here? Miles, let's be serious. The girl **'** s homeless, and we can't let her go without a place to stay."

Miles said, "Well, I suppose we can tell him about it when he gets back from his golf tournament. I already know Mom doesn't care. She's been talking about seeing Eleanor Roosevelt for a _long_ time now."

Helga glanced at Arnold. "Eleanor Roosevelt? Isn't she _dead?_ "

Arnold whispered back, "I'll explain later."

Stella turned to her son. "Sweetheart, can you go up to your room while I talk with Helga. Honey, keep an eye on dinner while I go out in the family room to talk."

Miles smiled affectionately at his wife walking out of the kitchen as he rested his hands against the hot stove. "No problem, dear, I've got everything under contr... YEEEEEEEEOOOOOWWWWWWWW...!"

Helga's eyes widened when they walked out of the kitchen and she looked at Stella. "Is he okay?"

Stella nodded. "He does it all the time. He's always daydreaming and in his own little world. I just try to ignore it."

 _So, Arnold gets his air headedness from his father? Interesting..._ Helga thought as they sat down beside each other on the couch.

Stella looked at her. "Now Helga, from what I understand, you're Arnold's ex. Now, I don't know how your relationship is right now, but if we're going to allow you to stay here, you both need to get along. If you must call a truce, that's fine too, but I can't allow you to stay in Arnold's room and fight all the time. You have to make peace with what's happened in the past."

 _Yep, his mother is where he gets his problem solving from, that's for sure..._ "We've made up, no problems there, Mrs. Shortman."

Stella smiled. "Call me Stella, sweetie. Now, what exactly happened to cause you to be homeless? I apologize if this is difficult for you to talk about, I just want to understand the situation a bit."

Helga sighed. "It's... not a very good story."

Stella said, "I'm off from work today so I have the time to listen. Now, what's going on? You said that you lost your house? Where are your parents right now, and don't you have a sister that you can stay with?" she remembered Olga a bit from the trip to San Lorenzo, but she wasn't sure if they were related. They looked alike, but they certainly didn't _act_ alike.

Helga looked down. She _had_ to be honest if she wanted to stay, she knew it, and after last night in the Safehouse, she didn't _want_ to leave Arnold's side, homeless or not. He needed her there. "I... My dad sold his contract and moved out of state. My mom overdosed on her alcoholic smoothies and went in the hospital. It was the last I've seen of her, and the last I've seen of my dad. I stayed with my best friend for a month, but her parents didn't have the financial means to support me and... uh, my sister, Olga... she's uh... kind of living with an abusive man."

Stella gasped. "Oh... _Helga_ , you didn't move in _there_ , did you?! Please tell me you didn't move in with your older sister!"

Helga kept her mouth shut, not willing to admit she was being abused, _again._

Tears started to fall down Stella's face as she looked at Helga. "Your silence is telling me that you did. Sweetie, abuse victims know other victims, and _no one_ should have to go through what you did. _No one... ever_..." she sniffed and closed her eyes in pain.

Now _that_ shocked Helga, and she looked up and whispered **,** "You... were _abused?!"_

Stella nodded, the tears falling freely from her eyes now. "It was what made me decide to be a doctor and help out other victims of abuse. It was before I met Miles and his family. It was... awful **,** " she struggled to talk about it.

"Who?"

Stella wiped her eyes as she breathed in deeply. "It was my cousin, he was a _very_ aggressive person. He stayed with me and my mother after my father passed away. It was only supposed to be for a couple years to help with finances. Anytime something didn't go his way, he would start throwing punches... only... only after a couple swings, he didn't stop. He..." she cried lightly now. "He left marks all over me and my mother for _years!_ After my mom passed away when I was 15, I ran away from that house. I learned how to care for myself and my wounds from being abused, and _that's_ when I decided I wanted to help others."

Helga didn't know what to do, but she decided on hugging Arnold's mom.

Stella cried lightly **,** "It's okay sweetie, I'm _okay_ now. Look on the bright side, it encouraged me to help many people out there, and after meeting Miles, it allowed me to save many from various diseases." She sighed. "The pain hits hard some days, and sometimes it confuses me how I can remember each bruise and hit so clearly, but I have trouble remembering simple things that I do every day. Therapists say that's from the trauma in San Lorenzo, but if I can't remember simple things _there_ , why can I remember something that happened over 20 years ago so vividly?"

Helga nodded. "Makes you feel like you're going crazy, huh?" _Maybe I'm not alone in this, after all..._

Stella nodded, and smiled weakly at her, wiping her eyes again from the tears. "That's _exactly_ how I feel."

Helga smiled back sadly, and they hugged. With that conversation, she knew she was welcome in their house to stay because of the abuse she'd been through and was accepted in Stella's eyes.

* * *

 **5 PM that afternoon...**

After a couple hours of talking and bonding with Stella, Helga walked upstairs to Arnold's room and walked in.

He was sitting on his bed, reading a book by Agatha Caulfield, and looked up from it when he noticed her. He couldn't tell from her look whether it was good or bad news. "So, what happened? Did my parents say it was okay for you to stay?"

Helga nodded weakly. "Yup. Your mother's a strong woman, Football Head."

He smiled in relief, and then said to her, "She _had_ to be to help save the Green-Eyes," and sat up to go in his closet. He grabbed a couple blankets and handed them to her. "Only a couple things I need to say, these are for you **,** " he handed some quilts for her to sleep on. "The couch has a remote and goes into the wall. It's the same as the stereo, but don't worry, the couch won't fold unless you use the remote for it. Just don't make the mistake of sleeping with the remote. Gerald has before, and the couch folded up because of it."

 _Yup, learned that the hard way already..._ she thought. "Got it. Next?"

Arnold said **,** "You can use the showers anytime, but there _might_ be a line if you want to use it in the mornings. I highly suggest lining up as soon as my alarm goes off for school on the days you want to shower, otherwise you might be late to class."

 _With all those people standing outside the bathroom when I sleep-walked to his house that morning, I would believe it..._ "Yeah, _and?"_ she replied, tapping her foot impatiently.

"The laundry room. You _must_ do your own laundry. If you need help the first few times, I can help you, but Grandpa is _very_ strict on that."

Helga rolled her eyes. "I already _know_ how to do my own laundry. It's not rocket science. Well, what else, Football Head?"

Arnold looked into her eyes and admitted, "I want us to get along while were living together."

Helga sighed. "So does your mother."

Arnold felt encouraged and smiled. "So... does that mean you're going to listen to her?"

Helga sat down on the couch. "Depends on how much you _bother_ me. I'm not making any promises."

Arnold sighed as he sat down in bed and picked up his book again. "Somehow, I didn't expect anything less."

"Relax, Arnold-o, we'll get along just _fine_ as long as you stay out of my business. Oh, and _don't_ tell the class I'm living here _or_ that were back in a relationship, got it?"

"But **,** Helga," he looked up from his book, hurt. "Why is it a big deal if the class knows you're living with me? And why do we have to keep our relationship private with _everyone,_ _all the time?_ I mean, it's one thing with my parents, but our classmates already _know_ about it, _remember?"_ He was sad she didn't want to admit she was living there. Even _Rhonda_ didn't want to admit it when she was staying at the Boarding House. What was so _bad_ about living with _him_? It was ridiculous. And _why_ , if Helga loved him, couldn't she be open about their relationship with others? Wasn't that the _point_ of a relationship, to show your feelings to each other and other people? She couldn't show her feelings to _anyone._ It was starting to get irritating.

"Because, Genius, they'll have more reasons to pick on me living here, and I already _told_ you why I don't want the class to know about _us_. So, drop it!"

"Helga, that isn't fair! So, I _can't_ tell my parents we're in a relationship, and I _can't_ tell the class or any of my _friends?"_

"Did I _stutter_ ,Lover-Boy? Now drop it or I'm breaking up with you for _real_ this time!"

"Helga, you can't break up with me every time we argue!" he stared at her, speechless.

"Sure I can, Hair Boy, and _don't_ put it past me!"

"But, what if I want to hold your hand in the hallways or kiss you before class? If we're in a relationship, I should have the right to do those things. Shouldn't a relationship be 50/50? Don't _I_ have a say so in how we handle having one?"

"Nope, you _don't_ , and unless you can say you _love_ me, I am _not_ going public with this. No stinkin' way. You can't say it, I'm not showing it."

Arnold sighed as he leaned against his bedpost. He was _sick_ and _tired_ of her secrecy. Couldn't she just be _honest_ for once? He didn't see anything _wrong_ with the class or his parents knowing, so why did it have to be a big deal to _her_? And unless he... he blinked. He could _tell_ her he loved her, why couldn't he? "Wait, what if I _can_ say that to you now, then would I be able to tell our friends that were in a relationship?"

She laughed. "Go ahead and try! You _can't_ say the words; you couldn't say it _last_ time, and _that_ was only a month ago."

"Sure, I can **,** " he replied. He put down his book for a second time and walked over to her, feeling nervous suddenly. Why was he nervous? It was just Helga, sure she was his _girlfriend_ , but he had known her his whole life practically. So, why were his hands sweating and his heart pounding already? He sat down beside her on the red couch, taking her hands in his gently, his pulse in his throat now. It was getting more difficult to breathe looking in her eyes. What was _wrong_ with him? _Every time_ he tried to say the words, he got nervous. They were just _words_ , and if words were needed for her to decide to be honest about them, he would share them with her. He softly replied as they stared in each other's eyes. "Helga... you mean _everything_ to me, and I just... needed to tell you, that I..."

"You...?" She raised an eyebrow. Maybe this deal _wasn't_ a good idea. He looked like he was going to say it this time! And _then_ what? He would tell _everyone_ they were going out? She began to get nervous, but for different reasons. He was only _saying_ the words to get her to go public, and she just wasn't _ready_ to be public about her feelings. She swallowed the lump in her throat. _Don't say it, Arnold. Don't say it... Don't say it...!_

He cleared his throat, and then breathed in deeply. This was even more difficult to say than the _last_ time he tried over a month ago. Was this... was this _love_? Realizing that, he tried again to say it. "H... Helga... I... you." And then, he kissed her softly.

She blinked in shock. He did it _again_. He couldn't say he _loved_ her, but he could _kiss_ her. He could _show_ her that he loved her. How odd that she did the opposite: she could _tell_ him she loved him, but she couldn't show him her feelings. She didn't know if she was happier about the kiss that she was receiving, or that she didn't have to _tell_ everyone about it. She slowly deepened the kiss, licking his lips to try to French him, hoping he knew what to do. She was _not_ one for short kisses, and if they were alone, she was going to _enjoy_ it.

And then, there was a knock on the door. Helga pushed Arnold away quickly and he fell on the floor just as Stella walked in.

"Kids, dinner's finished. It's downstairs whenever you're hungry." She then noticed her son, who was on the floor and looking a little embarrassed. "What are you doing on the floor, Sweetie?"

Helga replied, not missing a beat **,** "He tripped over his own two feet. Can you _believe_ that?"

Arnold stood up embarrassed as Stella looked at the two of them in confusion a moment before replying, "Okay. Don't take too long to get a plate. The other tenants will be downstairs as soon as they smell food." And with that, she shut the door.

She whispered **,** "Criminy, that was _too_ close." She looked at him angrily as he walked over to her. "Nice going, _Arnold._ Are you _trying_ to convince everyone we're together?"

Arnold rubbed his arm nervously as he sat down beside her. "Sorry, Helga. I didn't... exactly plan to do that. I guess if you really want to keep this private, I don't have much of a choice."

Helga smirked at him. "Just remember _Arnold-o_ , all you got to do is say the **_magic words_**."

Arnold sighed in defeat. _Too bad I can't say them..._

* * *

 **Monday** **,** **November 17th... In the Bus...**

As Arnold boarded his usual bus stop with Helga that morning, Gerald pulled him in the seat beside him and swiftly said, "Okay, out with it. What's going on?"

Arnold blinked. "Huh, what do you mean?"

"First of all, where did Helga come from, wasn't she _missing_?"

"I found her at the Safehouse later. I'm sorry, Gerald. _A lot_ has happened this weekend, and I haven't gotten the chance to call you and talk about it."

Gerald continued, "And another thing, why _didn't_ you call me to come over this weekend? We were _supposed_ to hang out, plus I left my math book there last week. I need to pick it up later today for class."

Arnold's eyes widened. He could _not_ tell Gerald that Helga was living at the Boarding House, it was Helga's wishes for it to be private, and he wanted her to _trust_ him. He _couldn't_ let Gerald enter his room. "I, uh, I can't exactly let you come over right now, but I _can_ bring it to class tomorrow."

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Man, why can't I come over _now?_ You've never told me I couldn't visit... at least not since I started coming over back in fourth grade." He thought a moment before saying. " _Please_ don't tell me your worried about the boarders' behavior again. I told you, Arnold. I don't care about them. Most of your family is kind of cool."

Arnold pursed his lips, not willing to admit _too_ much to Gerald and get yelled at again by Helga, or hit. "It's _not_ the boarders, Gerald. I just... I, uh, was collecting rent."

Gerald said. "Arnold, you're a terrible liar. It's the middle of the month, don't you collect rent at the _beginning?_ "

"Well," Arnold rubbed his arm and admitted **,** "Also, the boarders and my Grandparents were helping my parents with some remodeling."

Gerald paused. " _That's_ never stopped you from letting me come over before." _Something_ _ **'**_ _s going on that he isn't telling me. Why is he being so secretive again...?_

Arnold sighed, his hand raising to his forehead. "It's nothing, Gerald. Don't worry about it. I can come to your house next weekend and I'll bring your math book to school tomorrow." _This secret is going to be more difficult to keep than I thought..._

* * *

 **In class...**

As Arnold and Helga walked in together, chatting **,** Rhonda raised an eyebrow as Arnold took his seat and Helga got ready to go past her.

"Helga, what's going on? Are you and Arnold back together?"

 _What the..._ Helga was nervous now. "Who told you _that?!"_

Rhonda shrugged. "Nobody told me, I just took notice of how _close_ you both have been today. You're talking to each other now like you're _friends_ or something."

Helga growled. "Whatever, the Football Head isn't _that_ bad. We can get along occasionally without being all _touchy feely_. Why are you asking? You got a problem with it?" _Try me_ , _Rhonda-Lloyd. Try everything in the book! You will_ _not_ _know we're in a relationship together._

Rhonda spoke matter-of-factly, "No, of course not, Helga. Just curious, is all. By the way, I thought black clothes, eye liner, and eye shadow was your new style lately. Why are you back in pink again and..." she smelled something unfamiliar, and added, "And is that... _fabric softener?_ That _must_ mean you found a place to live. Where are you staying now, Helga?"

"Can it, Princess! My life isn't an open book in your world, and you _do not_ need to know where I'm staying. You just go ahead and live in your own cozy mansion with your smart phone and your high-tech intelligence. I don't _need_ to answer to _you_ , or anyone, you got that?" Helga stomped back to her desk in the back as Rhonda glanced at Arnold in curiosity.

Arnold was watching Rhonda and Helga, wishing he could help, but keeping his mouth shut...

* * *

 **Lunchtime that day...**

As Helga walked back to a table to sit alone, some of the boys from her class approached her.

Helga turned to look at Sid, Stinky, and Harold with a scowl. "Alright, bucko's, what do you want? Can't you see I'm trying to enjoy my lunch?"

Stinky said, "Well, nothing, Helga. We're just glad you're not homeless anymore and that you're all right."

Sid said, "And we're kind of surprised you're getting along with Arnold so well, didn't you guys break up?"

Harold added **,** "And how do you have lunch? I was waiting for you to trade me something for some of that whipped cream you bring in sometimes."

Sid looked at Harold, "Uh, Harold. That's shaving cream."

Harold's eyes widened. "It is?"

Helga rolled her eyes. "Are your chuckleheads done instigating me, so I can get back to my meal?"

Sid smirked at her. "Well, _sure_ , Helga, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were staying with Arnold and his parents. I mean, how _else_ would you get free lunches made for you every day? And who _else_ would let you stay with them after finding you homeless?"

Helga's eyes widened. She wasn't sure if Sid was taunting her or just making an observation, but she was starting to feel too sick to eat. And worried. _Arnold didn't_ _say_ _anything, did he...?_

She stood up, looking over at them, and putting her hands on her hips. "No, I'm _not_ staying with that stupid Football Head _or_ his dopey parents! Haven't you heard they're _still_ adjusting to civilization and modern life? Do you really _think_ they could take care of someone else? If you _must_ know, my sister dumped her loser boyfriend and I'm staying with _her_ , and as annoying as she may be, at least she knows how to prepare lunch and do the _laundry!_ Now, leave me alone before I give you _six_ black eyes!"

Harold, Stinky, and Sid glanced at each other a moment, before taking off in a run.

Arnold watched everything that happened curiously before looking back down at his lunch and starting to eat...

* * *

 **Later... 3:20 PM...**

An announcement was made on the intercom by Principal Wartz. "Attention all P.S **.** 118 employees. Mr. Frank, please come to the office. You left your lights on in your car."

Mr. Frank sighed. "Class, begin your reading while I step out a couple minutes." And with that, he walked out.

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "What's going on, Arnold? I heard what Sid suggested at lunch. Is Helga _really_ living with you?"

Helga heard him bring it up across the room and stood up to yell. "Tall Hair Boy, if you say another word about _that,_ I'll do something to you that will make Phoebe cut me out of her life for all _eternity_ , you got that?!"

Phoebe looked over at her ex-best friend in surprise, worried that she would hurt her boyfriend. She wasn't sure if she was more upset about losing Gerald _or_ Helga, and she found herself yelling out. "Helga, _no!"_

Gerald scowled at Helga and stood up as well. "I think it's my business if Arnold's living with his _ex_. He's my _best friend_. He doesn't need to be tortured _every day_ just to help _you_ out. How do you have the right to even _think_ about keeping something like that _secret?"_

Arnold stood up and held out his arms. "Stop, both of you! There's no reason to fight about this!"

Gerald looked at Arnold. "Sure there is, didn't you tell me a _month_ ago there's no available rooms in the Boarding House? That would mean if she was staying with _you_ , she would have to be staying in _your_ room." Gerald paused. "Now that I think about it, _that_ explains why you don't want me to come over anymore."

Arnold sighed. "Gerald... _please_ , can we just drop this? _Please?"_

Rhonda laughed. "Ooh, now _everything_ is becoming clear. Arnold _must_ have found Helga this weekend out on the streets and moved her in the Boarding house. Wow, Arnold, I _must_ say, that is very _heroic,_ to rescue the poor damsel in distress."

Harold laughed at what Rhonda said. "I bet Arnold and Helga are back together now! I bet they have another secret romance going on like you said! They're probably kissing and hugging and fondling each other!"

Sid whispered to Stinky beside him, "I bet she's whispering sweet nothings in his ear every night, after all, she had all those tapes of him, right?"

Harold laughed **,** "Hey, Arnold! Did you get to second base yet? Do you let him grab your flat boobs, Helga?"

Arnold's eyes widened at he looked over at Harold then back to Helga. He couldn't stop a dark blush from appearing on his face at the _thought._

Helga growled, "THAT'S IT, YOU'RE _DEAD, PINK TUB OF LARD_!" And she attacked Harold, pinning him against the wall.

Next thing Harold knew, he was on the floor and he couldn't open one of his eyes. The other one he could open, but it was difficult. He tried to look around at everyone. Helga was above him, smirking in victory.

Harold started crying, "What's going on? Why am I on the floor? Am I going blind? I can't see!" He looked around, standing up and holding out his arms. "SOMEBODY HELP ME, I CAN'T SEE!" He ran out of the classroom. "AHHHHHHHH MOMMY HELP ME! PLEASE!"

That was when Mr. Frank walked back in the classroom, and the bell rang for the end of the school day.

All the students except Arnold and Helga rushed out as if they were in a hurry for some reason.

Mr. Frank shrugged as his last two students walked out, he sat back down at his desk to grade papers...

* * *

 **That Night... 9 PM.**

After they both ate dinner silently, Arnold and Helga went upstairs to get ready for bed.

Arnold finally decided to break the silence between him and Helga. "Helga, was it really necessary to threaten Gerald and punch Harold earlier today?"

Helga growled. "Did you _want_ another black eye?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. My parents are already suspicious over the first one." When she only crossed her arms and looked away, he sighed. "Helga, I don't want the others finding out about you living here to drive a wedge between us."

"They practically _know_ we're in a relationship now, Arnold! It's only a matter of time before your family walks out on me, and you, just like _all_ the others." She looked down sadly.

Arnold walked over to her, sitting beside her on the couch, and putting his arm on her shoulders. "Helga, I'm not going to leave you because of this. Sure, this isn't the most ideal situation for either of us, but I'm not going to let you go homeless. No matter what, even if you decided to end the relationship, you'll _always_ have a place to stay here."

Helga smiled weakly. "Thanks, Arnold."

Arnold nodded. "Anytime. So... can we forget about everything that's happened today and move on? I don't want to fight anymore, Helga. If we're both staying here together, I want us to get along. Truce?"

Helga didn't know how she could do it, but she _did_ agree with him. She was living with him and she _still_ couldn't stop arguing. "I... okay, truce." She held out her hand.

Arnold grabbed her hand and smiled. After shaking her hand, he got up to walk over to his bed and get under his bed-sheets. "Am I alright turning out the lights for tonight?"

"Whatever, Hair Boy, after today all I want to do is sleep."

He noticed her sad expression but didn't want to pressure her to be herself anymore. He reached over to turn out the light and glanced over at his girlfriend in the dark. He tried to look on the bright side and be thankful for the few moments she _was_ open with him. "I understand, and I'm sorry for everything. It was never my intention for the class to find out."

Helga sighed. "I know, Arnold. Guess it was bound to happen someday, huh?" She knew with everything that happened, she wouldn't be able to sleep well that night...

Arnold sighed. It would be a _major_ understatement to say living with his girlfriend was easy. It was one of the most _difficult_ things he ever did. He could understand now just how a person could bounce from house to house when they were always picking fights and being argumentative like she was, but he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. He decided to continue a relationship with her and work on living with her, hoping that his kindhearted nature would eventually soften her hardened heart. "Good night, Helga. Sweet dreams."

Helga sighed lovingly at his reply, and then shook her head to snap out of it. What was _wrong_ with her? _Get it together, Helga ol' girl._ "Yeah, yeah, goodnight, _Prince Charming_."

Arnold was asleep almost instantly...

* * *

 **November 18th...**

 **3:05 AM…**

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

An ear-piercing scream was what woke him up. Quickly, Arnold reached over to turn on the night light beside his bed. He was worried something was wrong, he could recognize Helga's scream from _anywhere_. "Helga! Are you okay?!"

Helga was standing on the couch, using her hands to swat something black. Arnold recognized it as his Grandma's pet bat. Helga screamed again, and Arnold had to cover his ears as she yelled. "GET IT AWAY FROM ME, GET IT AWAY FROM ME... NOW!"

Arnold held out his hand. "Come here, Batty. Over here!" the black bat flew over to Arnold, landing on his finger.

Helga's eyes widened as she watched what happened. "What... the... _heck!_ You have a _name_ for that thing?!"

Arnold sighed. "Actually, Grandma does. She... kind of keeps things as pets."

Helga was silent as she stared at him from across the room a moment. "You're kidding me, right?!"

Arnold sighed. "I'm sorry, Helga. I forgot to tell you about Batty. I don't know why he's in my room."

"Well don't just _sit_ there, Hair-Boy. Get that batty thing out _now_ so I can sleep!"

Arnold got up from his bed and talked reassuringly to the bat. "It's okay, Batty. Go back downstairs with Grandma and Grandpa."

As soon as Batty went out his door, Helga yelled. "SHUT THE DOOR, SHUT THE DOOR, SHUT THE DOOR!"

Arnold shut the door lightly and crawled back into bed. "Are you okay, Helga?"

"Criminy, Arnold. What other stupid pets you got living here!?"

"Just Batty, but don't worry, with the door shut he shouldn't be coming back up anytime soon." Arnold turned out the night light and laid back down.

Helga sat back down on the couch. " _Finally_ , I can get some _shut eye_ around here!" she laid down, frustrated and exhausted.

Arnold closed his eyes. "Good night, Helga." Living with Helga was starting to be _very_ annoying for him...

* * *

 **3:15 AM...**

No more than 10 minutes later, he heard Abner scrambling to the door in his room and he felt the bed get heavier all of a sudden. _What... what's going on_ _now_ _...?_ He reached over to turn on the night light, but it turned on by itself... or he thought it turned on by itself until he saw Helga beside him, holding him and shaking. "GET IT AWAY FROM ME, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"

Arnold blinked as he noticed Grandma's snake on the couch Helga usually slept on. "Oh... so _that's_ why Abner's been running away lately..." he wondered aloud.

"I don't _care_ why your stupid pig's been running away lately, just GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"

Arnold sighed at being woken up a second time from his sleep and walked over to the couch. "Come on, Stalker."

Helga narrowed her eyes as Arnold opened the door for the snake to crawl out, and Abner ran out after him, squealing in fear. She didn't know whether it freaked her out more for him to have a snake in his room, or for it to have a _name_ like that, _and_ listen to his instructions. "Don't tell me your demented grandmother has a _snake_ living here too!"

As Arnold shut the door, he apologized. "Sorry, Helga. I forgot all about the snake that comes upstairs."

"Where the _heck_ did she get a snake at?! And how come I'm _just_ finding out about this?!"

Arnold shrugged. "She told me it followed Abner back from San Lorenzo. I forgot all about it."

"Criminy, Arnoldo!" It was at _that_ point Helga didn't _want_ to leave Arnold's bed, and gripped his pillow tightly.

"Look, if you're really _that_ scared, I'll take the couch, you can have my bed," he said.

"What if that creepy snake crawls through the air vents on your ceiling in the middle of the night, and then crawls into your bed with me! No, not happening, hair boy!" she was freaking out.

"Well, then _I'll_ take the bed while _you_ take the couch."

"And wake up with a snake slithering through the wall and into my _lap?!_ Not happening, _Arnold-o_!"

Arnold shrugged. "Well, I guess you could sleep with _me_ then. I can talk to my grandparents about it tomorrow and see what they can do about the snake."

Helga's eyes widened. "You want us to... to _sleep_ together?!"

Arnold's innocent mind didn't understand how his girlfriend could _possibly_ object to that. "There's really no other alternatives if you're afraid to sleep by yourself, and I don't mind sharing a bed with you-"

"-Arnold," she raised an eyebrow. "Do you realize how you sound right now, and do you understand that if your parents see us, I'm going to be homeless… _again!_ " _Criminy, what a buffoon…_

He sighed with a shrug. "I don't know what else to do... except tell you to sleep on the couch downstairs, but the boarders would wake you up, besides **,** it's colder downstairs."

 _Are you_ _kidding_ _? I would have_ _no_ _protection against the bats and snakes there!_ And that's when she decided, commanding him, "Arnold, lock the door, _now!_ If I'm sleeping beside you, your parents _can't_ know about it!" She moved towards his alarm clock on the other side of the bed, pulling up the sheets to keep herself warm.

He nodded in understanding and locked the door behind him.

She watched as Arnold walked over and turned off the night light beside his bed.

He crawled under the bed sheets next to her, suddenly feeling nervous being so close to his girlfriend. He tried to ignore it and faced away from her.

Helga sighed as she felt his presence beside her. Oh yes, she was nervous, for _two_ reasons: Arnold was close to her, _very_ close, and she felt _faint_ , but also... she was _still_ worried about the pets his grandma kept in the house. Would they somehow be able to get on his bed, and would Arnold be able to protect her if the snake tried to _bite_ her? That thought made her shake in fear.

Arnold felt her body shake beside him and he blinked, he turned around in the bed to face her. He wanted to comfort her so she could fall asleep. He reached for her left hand underneath the covers with his right hand. As he touched her hand, he felt his heart skip a beat, and he took a breath in. _That_ was not normal. His heart _never_ skipped a beat like that before. He took another breath to calm his nerves. He was just holding her hand like he did last night, what was the big deal? He shrugged it off as he spoke to her, softly. "Don't worry, it will be okay. I'm here now." Was _this_ what a _boyfriend_ did? Protect their girlfriend from harm? Arnold wasn't sure, he only hoped he was being comforting. He wanted her to know she was safe in the Boarding House.

Helga was half asleep and sighed affectionately at her boyfriend's comforting words. He was even _closer_ to her now. He would be her _comfort_ , her _security_. He would protect her from harm's way. She felt _a lot_ more relaxed with him in front of her. His hand in hers, his warm breath on her face. Subconsciously, she put her arms around him, and her head under his chin, bringing him closer. She was _finally_ relaxed enough to fall back asleep.

Arnold _wasn't_ relaxed, he was wide awake now. He felt _tense_. He thought it was from being woken up, twice. Maybe it was from her moving closer to him, but why would _that_ make him restless? He needed to focus on something besides his nerves and get some rest. They would probably be sharing a bed for a while, unless his Grandma decided to get rid of the snake and bat, which he highly doubted she would do. She was even determined to keep her thirteen black cats a few years ago on Friday the 13th.

A few minutes later, Helga started to snore, and her grip on his hand started to loosen. He was able to close his eyes and daydream about his parents being home. Hopefully, he wouldn't have any more nightmares about them with her sleeping beside him. He didn't want to worry her by waking up crying, or screaming, or falling off the bed. The nightmares were awful and he was having them every other day before she moved in, so he was due for another one...

But to his shock and amazement...

He didn't have any nightmares that night...

Or the next night...

Or the night after that...!

The nightmares... were _gone...!_

But... _why?_


	8. Chapter 8: Learning to get along

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. This chapter is **Teen** for conflict and drama. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Reviews:  
** **The J.A.M:** A bit surprised she's held back too, thanks for the review!  
 **Yali Page:** I'm glad that you understand. Thanks for the honest opinion and thanks for the review!  
 **ForeverRogue:** If you liked the Frenching, you'll love this chapter. Thanks for the review!  
 **Ajay435:** I don't blame you for not having sympathy for Helga, and she will start coming around in later chapters. Also, congrats on catching two of the risky scenes I put out there. Thanks for your honest opinion and thanks for the review!  
 **Kryten:** Unfortunately they don't sometimes. Thanks for the review!  
 **Guest:** (posted 4/3) That answer is above after the bold text. Thanks for the review!  
 **acosta perez jose ramiro:** At first, I was going to do her dad, but somebody reminded me that she wanted to name Arnold after her father, so I knew that would be unrealistic. She wouldn't have named Arnold after her Father if he was abusive. Thanks for the review!  
 **thatamosgirl:** I enjoyed writing all the Arnold and Helga moments, and Harold's line cracked me up every time I read it back without fail. That, and the snake and bats sneaking in the house makes me laugh every time. Thanks for the review!  
 **Starfiction123:** I got your PM and I didn't forget about you. I'll be reviewing more of your story soon. The animals part was one of my favorite parts to write in the last chapter, and honestly, I don't know who you're going to be more frustrated with in _this_ chapter, Helga (for pushing him to admit his feelings) or Arnold (You'll see why, but he gets annoying it's so bad you're going to want to scream at him lol) There _is_ a few kisses in this chapter I think you'll like it. Thanks for the review!

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Learning to get along**

 _ **Monday, November 24th... In Arnold's Room...**_

One week living with Helga G. Pataki, and things had only gotten _worse_ for Arnold. He talked to his grandparents about the bat and snake that occasionally paid a visit to his room, and they agreed to keep the animals downstairs. It was too bad the animals didn't _stay_ downstairs like they were _supposed_ to. They had been sharing a bed for a _week_ now, and although the nightmares oddly stopped, Arnold was facing _other_ problems: waking up freezing because of Helga stealing all the covers, her snoring, it could wake up the dead in the middle of the night, not to mention her mood _and_ her breath in the morning were _awful_. It was bad enough he had trouble falling asleep the past week in the first place, it wasn't even _just_ the sleeping arrangements that irritated him, it was starting to be _everything_ : She hogged the showers the days he typically used it before school, hogged his computer for assignments since she didn't have one. He wasn't used to sharing all his things. His patience was wearing _thin. Maybe_ this living with Helga thing _wasn't_ a great idea after all.

And if he was honest, it was _those_ things that caused the fight that afternoon after school...

Arnold was sitting on his bed, he glanced at Helga across the room. It was about 4 PM. "So, _Helga_. I was just wondering _why_ you felt the need to act like we're not in a relationship at school."

Helga was laying on the couch working on English homework. She glanced up at him and shrugged. "It's a free country, and anyway you already _know_ how I feel. No need to give the class any more to talk about."

Arnold sighed. "They've already stopped talking about us, so why are your insults more... _insulting_ lately? I mean, you've called me pretty much everything in the book. I've lost track of all the names you've called me in the last week. Let's see, there's the simple ones, like Jerk Face, Dense Moran, Spit Wad, Loser, Idiot, Weirdo, Bozo, but then you got to start calling me _other_ things, like Twig Legs, Corn Head, Tart...

Helga raised an eyebrow. "So, what's your point, you _Spaz?"_

Arnold scowled, "See? That's exactly what I mean! I don't get it. I thought you _wanted_ a relationship with me!"

She rolled her eyes. " _Relax_ , my little _Snowflake_ , insults aren't just insults when you're in a relationship, they're also _terms of endearment_."

"Okay, so, I'm supposed to somehow be _okay_ about being called a Twat. I'm sick of it!"

She smirked, "Hey, you can call me names too, bucko, it'll even the playing field," she winked.

"I don't _want_ to play games with you anymore, Helga. I offered you a place to stay where I live, in my _room_ , even, and I don't think you appreciate it. I mean, I can't even _sleep_ these days because of you!"

"Oh, criminy, what did I do now, you Wet Blanket?"

"First of all, in the middle of the night, somehow you steal all the covers and _I_ end up freezing when I wake up."

"Well, I get cold too, Football Head. What do you expect me to do, freeze to death? Can't be any worse than being snuggled up on _you_ when you sleep. You treat me like I was a teddy bear or something."

"You take up the whole bed, what am I supposed to do?! You also take all the hot water in the bathroom, _nobody_ needs to shower for twenty minutes, _ever!_ You even stole my _computer_ from me, since I can no longer _use_ it with _you_ on it all the time."

"Well, criminy, Arnoldo, I didn't know you were so freaking selfish and possessive. Did you _expect_ your life to follow the same routine with me living here?"

Arnold sighed, "It wouldn't be that bad if you weren't a grump all the time, especially in the mornings-"

"- _Hey_ , I can't help it if you wake up _singing_ and I don't. Did you ever think something might be wrong with _you?_ No normal person is _that_ happy in the mornings. Only you, Bucko."

"No normal person is that _irritating_ all the time! Do you _try_ to start fights with me all day?"

"Seems that _you're_ the one trying to start fights today, Hair Boy. _I'm_ just acting how I _always_ do, you don't need to be so _hypersensitive_ about it!"

He spoke stubbornly, "Well, maybe it's time that _you_ change!"

"And another thing, Bucko, I'm not your personal experiment, _okay?_ Just because I'm living here doesn't mean that you have to _work_ on me!"

"Oh, so I'm just going to _deal_ with your attitude all the time?!"

They heard a male voice on the other side of Arnold's door. "Kids, kids," Miles opened the door and glanced at them both. "What's going on? Your Grandpa heard yelling. You kids aren't fighting again, are you?"

Arnold scowled, "She's being unreasonable!"

Helga growled, "He's being a nitpicker!"

Miles sighed as he walked in a moment. "Now, I know your Grandparents and your Mother agreed to Helga staying here in your room, but there's still no available rooms for her to move into. I'm afraid if you guys can't stop arguing, I'm going to have to separate you. We can't have you both fighting all the time."

Helga shrugged, "Why not, all the other boarders do it."

Arnold whispered harshly, "Helga!"

"Anyway," Miles continued. "Either she's going to have to sleep downstairs on the couch, or she's going to have to leave."

Arnold's eyes widened. "But, _Dad_ , she has nowhere to go! She can't sleep downstairs with Grandma's pets!"

Miles sighed, "Then I suggest that the two of you work out whatever is wrong and get along, or she will have to _leave_ , or do _you_ want her to leave, Arnold? It's _your_ room, after all."

Arnold looked down in silence a moment before saying **,** "No, dad. I don't want her to be homeless. We'll get along."

"I sure hope so, now you kids make up and come downstairs, me and your Mother made chicken, potatoes, and green beans for dinner tonight." He shut the door softly.

Helga sat up on the couch and looked across the room at Arnold. He could only watch her as she spoke, "I guess... I guess this is it again, huh? This will be the _fourth_ place I've lived that I'll have to leave. Figures. Whenever I think I have a good thing, it all _turns_ on me. Well, I guess I'll be in Foster Care soon." She was feeling depressed just thinking about it, and it was _all_ because of her _stupid_ attitude.

Arnold stood up and started to walk over to her. "Helga-"

"-Or maybe I can find out where my dad lives and move in _there_. Maybe living with him and his brother won't be _so_ bad." She was highly doubting it, but she needed to think of alternatives now. She had already worn out her welcome _here._

Arnold sat down beside her, looking into her eyes. His heart was pounding. He was losing track of his thoughts, what was he going to say to her? "H... Helga-"

"-Or maybe I can just move back in the Safehouse. I think I was doing pretty good surviving on my own. I don't need anybody to _cater_ to me."

Arnold grabbed her hand and she stopped speaking to look into his eyes.

They were so deep, oceans deep. He was looking at her like he could see into her very _soul_. It scared her.

"Helga..." He tried to speak again. Where was his voice? Why couldn't he speak anything but her name? He blinked, breaking the trance from looking in her eyes and tried again, he spoke nervously. "Helga... I, I never said that you _had_ to leave and you... you were _completely_ right. I _am_ exaggerating everything."

Helga raised an eyebrow. "You are? Are you _sure_ , I mean, I _have_ been pretty mean to you, Arnold. If anyone had the right to kick me to the curb, it would be _you_."

Arnold squeezed her hand and grabbed the other one with his other hand. "This... this argument is _my_ fault, not _yours._ You're going through a rough transition right now living without your parents, and you've even been _abused_ , and I'm not being... being understanding." He took a deep breath. He cared for her, he knew it. He would rather suffer living with her than to throw her out and see her homeless or to live without her. He needed to apologize for being so unforgiving to her.

Helga waited a couple seconds for him to speak, when he didn't, she said. "You've been understanding, Arnold. Everything you said was true, I _have_ been stealing the bed and bedsheets, I _have_ been hogging the computer, I _have_ been calling you more names lately. I'll... I'll tone it down a bit, _okay?_ I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I-"

He interrupted her words with a kiss. What? Wait a minute, since when did... since when did _he_ kiss _her_ without running it across his mind first? Wasn't he even worried about her yelling at him or pushing him away? Why... _why_ was he kissing her again?!

Helga blinked in shock, but slowly accepted the kiss from him, and melted when he put his arms around her to embrace her gently. This was beyond her wildest dreams! He was kissing her, with no initialization from _her!_ She started to respond, letting go of his hands and grabbing his shoulders gently, wanting to deepen the kiss. _Ooh, my love. You_ _finally_ _realize the truth of your feelings for me, you_ _finally_ _love me the way that I love you. Oh, my flaxen haired angel, what beauty, what grace, what..._ She stopped her thoughts before deepening the kiss. Wait a minute, weren't they just arguing _ten minutes ago_? Remembering that, she pushed him away forcefully. A bit out of breath, she replied, "Criminy, Arnoldo. What's _with_ you? Weren't you just _yelling_ at me?"

Arnold was out of breath and felt his head for a moment. He was dizzy, and he didn't know why. Why on earth did he kiss her instead of telling her what he wanted to tell her? He closed his eyes and whispered softly. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" She blinked, thinking he was talking about the kiss. _Great. Now he's even apologizing for_ _kissing_ _me. You're sure batting a thousand, Helga..._

"The kiss that I just gave you." He looked into her eyes. "It was meant to be an _apology_."

Helga stared at him silently and blinked. "Okay, so you _kissing_ me was your way of saying you're _sorry?" It figures. Guess I deserve it with the way I've been treating him, huh?_

Arnold rubbed his neck nervously. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Helga."

Helga shrugged, "It's not your fault, Arnold. I _have_ been a pain to live with, and I _do_ need to be nicer to you. Why don't we start fresh and I'll," she gulped nervously. "I'll... _try_ to be more open about our relationship."

Arnold blinked, "Really? You would do that, for _me?"_

Helga sighed, "Well you _did_ just kiss me Arnoldo. If you're willing to do _that_ , I _guess_ I can open up just a bit."

"I don't mind kissing you, Helga." _I think I enjoy it a little too much..._

"Sure, whatever you say." _He doesn't love you yet, Helga old girl, quit getting your hopes up all the time..._

He smiled, "Hey, I've got an idea. Maybe we could... I don't know, take a walk sometime and get to know each other better."

"Don't we already _know_ everything about each other? I've known you for 8 years!"

"I'm not talking about basic stuff, I'm talking about the past, the scars, the hurts, the fears. Even the _good_ times. Sure, we may be boyfriend and girlfriend, and we may have known each other for eight years, but we don't know the first thing _about_ each other. I only know what you've chosen to show me and the same goes with me."

Helga thought a bit about it. "Sure, why not? If you're going to let me stay, I'll give it a shot. I mean, what could be worse than what you've found out already?"

Arnold walked over to the calendar on his wall and looked at it thoughtfully. "Well, Thanksgiving is the 27th this month, and we have school off that Thursday and Friday, so why don't we take a walk around the neighborhood? We can just talk, like we've done the last two Thanksgivings together. We can make it our annual tradition. My parents said they're going to be cooking all morning, and I know all the boarders are going to be downstairs."

"You know, Football Head, that _might_ be a good idea. We don't have to hear the boarders arguing. So, this Thursday, huh?"

"As long as it's okay. If you want, I'll open up to you first, then you can tell me what your _comfortable_ talking about."

"It's a deal." They both shook hands.

* * *

 _ **Thursday November 27th...afternoon in the park...**_

Helga and Arnold walked beside each other silently, not holding hands. There was an awkward silence.

Helga spoke cautiously, still nervous being with her boyfriend in public. " _So..."_

"So..." he repeated, nervous as well. He wanted to deepen his relationship with her, but he was still nervous, for some reason.

Helga asked, "What are you _fears_ in life?"

Arnold blinked and stopped walking a moment. "My fears. Um, are you _sure_ you want to hear _all_ of them?"

Helga put a hand on her hip. "Listen, Arnold. You told me three days ago you _wanted_ to do this. Well, I'm asking you something I don't know to learn more about _you_ , just like you wanted."

Arnold rubbed his neck nervously, "I remember what I said, but _that's_ a pretty deep question."

Helga narrowed her eyes. "Is it any different than some of the things you've asked _me?!_ Come on, Arnold, I can't be the _only_ one baring my soul, and I _won't_ be the only one."

Arnold bit his bottom lip nervously. "Only if you admit your fears as well."

Helga looked away. "I'll think about it."

Arnold sighed, irritated, "Helga..."

Helga sighed, "Alright, alright. I'll admit my fears if you do, now start talking."

Arnold nodded over to the pink bench. "Let's sit down. I have a feeling this might take a while."

When they were sitting down, he spoke, "I guess, I guess my biggest fear in life would be things changing."

"Change?" She was surprised. "The person that changes others daily is afraid of _change?_ "

"Not other people changing, just my _life_. I mean, next year we're going to be in middle school in multiple classes with _a lot_ more homework and tests. Will I be able to handle it?"

"I think that's pretty typical and you're _not_ telling me _anything_ I don't know."

He took a deep breath, and admitted, "I'm afraid I'm losing Gerald's friendship to my relationship with you, or to his relationship with _Phoebe_. We don't hang out like we used to, and it seems the closer I get to you, the further the class gets to _me_. I don't know why."

Helga said, "Well that's obvious, _Bucko_. It's because I'm overbearing and impossible to get along with. They probably think something's wrong with _you_ for dating _me_." _Which was_ _another_ _reason they didn't need to find out we were together._

"They don't see you like I do. They didn't see what you did in San Lorenzo when you were with Gerald and me. I don't think they understand since you're too afraid to show them."

Helga was silent a moment. "What about Gerald? I thought he _wanted_ to be my friend."

"That's when you a _ren't_ calling me names and being mean, Helga. You've got to admit, you haven't exactly shown them that you care about me."

"Of _course_ I have! They went into that video room I had of you!"

"Hate to say this, but that's more obsessive than anything. Even Gerald thought you were going through a _phase_ with me."

Helga put her hand up to her chin in thought. "Hmm, interesting. So, the class _knows_ I love you, but they also think I'm just _obsessed_ with you. _That_ means they're not sure _how_ I feel." _Maybe I can keep this a secret after all..._

Arnold closed his eyes. "Well, it's creating distance between me and all of my friends. It's bad enough I almost lost the friendship of everyone I've known since preschool back in San Lorenzo, but it's happening _again_ , and it's not entirely my fault this time."

Helga sighed, putting a hand on his shoulders. "I wish you would've told me this morning. Maybe _then_ I would've understood why you _snapped_ at me."

"I appreciate it, but I know you're not ready to open up to the class. I understand that, but sometimes I wish you could open up to _me_. Remind me that my help and time isn't being wasted, that you really _do_ care for me."

Helga blinked, "You... you don't _know_ I care about you? Arnold, I admitted I loved you, _twice._ Criminy, you can't be _that_ much of an airhead."

Arnold closed his eyes. "You don't make it easy to see. We're doing _none_ of the things Gerald and Phoebe do in _their_ relationship. We've been together a month and never even gone on a _date_ yet. We've kissed a few times, sure, but you won't let me sit with you at lunch or talk to you in class or hold your hand in the hallways. Sometimes I feel like we're not really in a relationship, you know what I mean? We're just roommates living together, sharing the same bed."

Helga bit her lip. That sounded really bad. She had no _clue_ he felt like that, and it made her depressed. Her secrecy was starting to affect him and his life. She rubbed her arm, "I just... I don't know what to say, Arnold. I didn't know you felt that way. I'm sorry."

"Listen, I'm not forcing you to be open, not at all. I'm just starting to wonder if this relationship is what you want."

 _Here it is, the talk. He's breaking up with me, he's breaking up with me, isn't he?!_ She was scared and said it. "You're breaking up with me, aren't you?!"

"What? No, Helga, we're just talking."

Helga breathed in relief. "Oh, uh, good," she laughed nervously.

Arnold looked in her eyes. "But I _would_ like you to think about whether this is really love or obsession for you. I may be inexperienced with matters of the heart, but if you _really_ loved me, you wouldn't be afraid to open up to me, know what I mean?"

Helga looked away nervously. She hated to say it, but he made a valid point. Too bad she didn't know _what_ to do about being open with him. "I'm... sorry, Arnold."

"It's... it's okay." Arnold changed the subject. "So, what about you?"

" _Me?"_

"Yeah, Helga. What are your fears in life?"

Helga put a hand to her chin in thought. "Hmm, let's see. Losing _you_ ," she admitted aloud.

Arnold sighed, "You're _not_ losing me, Helga, so don't worry. I was just telling you how I felt."

Helga closed her eyes in pain. "Face it, Arnoldo. It's only a matter of time before you leave just like everyone else. I've got nothing to offer. According to _you_ , I don't even have my _feelings_ to offer you," she sighed. "I've got a lot of fears, Bucko. More than I've ever shared with _anyone_." _And most include you..._

Arnold took a deep breath. "Would you be willing to share them with me?"

Helga sighed, she _still_ didn't want to open up to him. "You already _know_ most of my fears so what's there to say? You know I'm afraid of rejection, being picked on, being looked down on, being considered weak, losing _you_."

"What else?" he said, curiously. "Don't be afraid to tell me, to dig deeper beyond the surface. I know you're afraid of being considered weak. You wouldn't spend so much time hiding our relationship if you weren't."

"I..." Helga tightened her fists and then sighed in defeat. She closed her eyes, looking down at the ground. "I'm... afraid of losing _everything_."

Arnold didn't know what to say, he never knew she feared _that_. "Didn't you already _lose_ everything? Your family, your friends, your house? You're pretty strong if _that's_ where most of your fears lie, and I'm impressed you've chosen to accept what's happened to you." He looked down. "I'm afraid of losing everything too. The fear of my parents leaving again is _always_ in the back of my mind. Not only that, but losing my _Grandparents_. They've been part of my life so long I don't know _what_ I would do without them."

Helga met Arnold's eyes as he looked into hers, and she saw something in his eyes she hardly ever saw, understanding. He _understood_ what she was talking about. He smiled weakly at her as he put a reassuring arm around her shoulders. She accepted the comfort and leaned her head against the top of his chest.

Arnold said. "You're not alone. You will _never_ be alone, Helga."

She sighed, "It's not your fault I feel this way. You're only trying to _help_ , and I've been taking your help for granted all this time. I've been taking _everyone_ for granted. It's no _wonder_ everyone wants to get rid of me." she admitted.

He looked at her. "It can't be easy considering you've lost all your stuff to moving. I'm taking it your video room is gone, and all your volumes of poetry? You never went back to get them."

Helga paused a moment and sat up from leaning on him. "H... How did you-"

"-You told me on FTI back in fourth grade." Arnold said simply.

She sighed in defeat, twiddling her fingers. "I guess... I guess I _am_ kind of sad, but at least I still have the most _important_ thing with me."

"What's that?" he asked, curiously.

She looked at him wary a moment before reaching in her shirt pocket in her dress to pull it out. She showed him her broken locket again.

Arnold simply said. "It's still broken, you never got a new one?"

"How would I _afford_ a new one? Bob sold his business, _remember?"_ She sighed as she handed him her locket to look at it once again, the one thing that saved his parents was in his hands. She continued speaking. "I guess it's kind of bittersweet. After all, the heart-shaped locket is just another symbol of my broken heart."

He tore his eyes away from the locket to look at her. "Oh, Helga." He wanted to tell her that it would be okay, but he didn't know _what_ to say.

"Don't worry about _me,_ Arnold, just worry about _yourself_. These are just more problems I have to solve on my own."

Arnold looked down sadly. He thought talking would make things _better_. He was _wrong_ , sure they were opening up to each other about their deepest fears, but it only made Helga and him _sad_. He handed her back the locket and spoke to her, softly, "I... listen Helga, I need to tell you something." She looked at him curiously. He had her undivided attention now, and felt _so_ nervous underneath her gaze, his body shook. That... _that_ was not normal. He breathed in, focusing on something else, _anything_ else except how he was feeling. Her eyes... they were _beautiful_ , so _blue._ Just like her feelings, like the ocean waters. He was getting _lost_ in them so suddenly.

Helga noticed his pupils had gotten larger, he was giving her the same look he gave her Monday, and she smirked. "Tongue-tied again, huh?"

Arnold rubbed his arm nervously. "I... don't know why."

"Quit being so nervous and just say what you want to say! Can't be any worse than what _I_ already told you, right?"

He stood up off the bench and tried again, he rubbed his neck, he spoke softly. "Helga, I want you to know that I care about you. That you're not the only one that's experienced a broken heart. I want you to... I want you to...?" he was losing grip here, he couldn't even remember what he was talking about. What was he talking about again?

Helga got up and stepped over to him, nervously. "What is it, _talk_ to me, Football Head! What's wrong?"

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Nothing's wrong, Helga. I just want you to know that... that." Not thinking anymore, he met her lips heatedly, pulling her closer.

 _What_ in the world was going on with him? Was he _always_ going to kiss her when he was trying to tell her something important? Her heart fluttered, her skin was tingling, her nerves were _shot_. _Oh, my love. You_ _finally_ _realize just how important I am to you!_ Realizing they weren't at home for his parents to walk in the room, and that they were alone in the park, and that he _wanted_ her to open up to him, she opened her mouth to French him.

He groaned in her mouth at the new feelings that came over him. Was _this_ what they called _Frenching?_ He had _never_ done it before. Sure, she had tried to French him on FTI, but he was too scared to react, not to mention he didn't have the same feelings for her back then. As she moved her tongue in his mouth slowly, he figured out what to do. He dueled with her tongue slowly and went in a clockwise direction with her, and then a couple seconds later, switched directions, hitting her tongue with his. Her mouth was so wet, so warm inside. He couldn't _think_.

She ran her fingers down his spine and felt him shake again. This was _incredible_. She _never_ imagined it could feel like _this_ , she could taste the mint mouthwash he used every morning, the mint toothpaste in his mouth. She could feel his tongue wresting against hers heatedly. It was better than anything she'd ever experienced, and she was experiencing it with _him_. She _never_ wanted to stop.

As they were Frenching, they heard a soft gasp and _that_ was what made them pull away. They looked to the side to see their old teacher, Mr. Simmons. He was staring at them in shock.

Arnold was too out of breath to speak, so Helga asked Mr. Simmons, breathing deeply herself, "What are... what are _you_ doing here, Simmons?"

Mr. Simmons smiled at his two fourth and fifth grade class students. "I was taking a walk this special morning to clear my mind. Wow, Arnold, Helga, I didn't know you two were in a relationship!"

Arnold pulled at his collar nervously, looking to Helga. "I... I uh,"

"Oh criminy, Hair Boy. Just _tell_ him! It's not like he works at P.S. 118 anymore."

"He doesn't?"

Helga held her hand out to him. "Didn't you hear? He _retired!"_

Mr. Simmons walked over to them. "Not exactly, Helga. I worked for a month before collecting severance pay through P.S 118. The stress from everything that happened in San Lorenzo was too much for me. I thought by resting for the rest of the summer, it would be enough for me to focus on my job, but after having another nervous breakdown one month after starting school, I decided I had enough and asked the superintendent to help me. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder my doctor told me. I can't work full time anymore."

Helga said, "But, I thought you _liked_ teaching."

Mr. Simmons said, "I'm still a teacher, Helga, I can't live on just severance pay, that's why I stayed in my career part time. I visit schools around my area now and teach a class instead. I'm not just a part of one classroom. It gives me more time to spend with my special family. Don't worry, I'll see you both again. I'm supposed to visit P.S. 118 early next year. How is sixth grade going for the both of you?"

Helga shrugged, "It's so-so."

Arnold admitted, "It's different not having you as a teacher since we had you for both fourth _and_ fifth grade."

Mr. Simmons didn't want to think about the monkeys or guards back in San Lorenzo, so he changed the subject. "Well... it was a _special_ surprise seeing two of my top students, but I'm afraid I have to go. I'm meeting my boyfriend in the park. I'll see you _special_ students in January."

The two preteens waved. Arnold smiled. "See you, Mr. Simmons."

Helga glanced at Arnold. "Think that's our cue to go home, Hair Boy?"

Arnold nodded, "You might be right. Dinner is probably done by now."

Helga raised an eyebrow. "And _what_ was that, earlier?"

"What was _what_ , Helga?"

"Don't play dumb, Arnold. You _know_ what I'm talking about. _Why_ did you kiss me?"

"I..." he sighed, no sense in lying to his girlfriend. "Honestly, Helga, I don't know why I kissed you. I was trying to tell you something, but I don't even remember what it was."

Helga smacked her head, "Criminy. Let's just go!" _Well, so much for thinking he loves me. He'll_ _never_ _love me..._

* * *

 _ **Three weeks later... December 18th...**_

All the boarders were gathered in the living room in a circle: Phil, Gertie, Ernie, Oskar, Susie, Mr. Hyunh, Miles, and Stella. Grandma was at the piano, and Arnold and Helga were just walking down the stairs. Grandpa held out a white bowl for the boarders to draw names from, and he said, "Now everybody, you know the drill, when you draw a name, that person is your secret Santa and _that's_ who you are getting a Christmas present for this year. We're a bit short on money, but that shouldn't stop _any_ of you from buying a gift for one person. Pookie, play us some Christmas music, will you?"

She laughed as she sat down at the piano, grinning at the keyboard. She started playing _"The Funeral March"._

Arnold walked over. "Sorry we're late, Grandpa. Helga and I were working on homework."

Helga said, "So, what are we doing, Gramps? Arnold told me you got some sort of Christmas thing you do every year."

Grandpa nodded as Arnold looked into the empty bowl his grandpa was holding out. "Grandpa, Grandma. Where are all the names? This bowl is empty."

Grandpa put a finger over his own mouth to stop the boarders from speaking as Stella and Miles walked over to Arnold and Helga with a _different_ bowl. Miles said to Arnold, "No, son. _This_ is the bowl that you and Helga will draw from."

Ernie commented, "Yeah, Arnold. _This_ year we have _two_ bowls since there's extra boarders in the house. Wouldn't want anyone to be left out, you know?" he winked at Phil.

Stella smiled at Arnold and whispered, "Go ahead and pick a name, sweetheart."

Arnold and Helga looked inside where there was about seven small pieces of paper and glanced at each other and the rest of the boarders. All the other ones had already drawn names, so what were all the extra papers for?

"Come on, Shortman. Draw already!" he narrowed his eyes at his wife. "And Pookie, _stop_ playing that blasted funeral music. Nobody's _dying_ tonight!"

Gertie laughed as she kept playing, and Arnold and Helga reached in curiously to grab a name. They looked at each other confused.

Helga raised an eyebrow, "Why did I pick my name?"

Arnold blinked, "I got my name, too."

Stella smiled at Arnold, "Swap papers, sweetie."

Helga raised an eyebrow, "You guys set us up. Why?"

Ernie said, "About time you guys stopped fighting all the time!"

Oskar said, "Yeah, Susie and I need some sleep."

Susie elbowed him, "Oh... _Oskar!"_ she turned to Arnold. "Your parents told us you're both having trouble getting along."

Mr. Hyunh smiled, "Yes. We thought if you drew each other, it might help."

Grandpa added, "You can start talking to each other like _two civilized human beings_ ," he glanced at his wife. "Pookie, didn't I tell you to stop that music, you crazy old bat?!"

Miles walked over to Arnold, put a hand on his sons shoulder, and said, "Son, I'm trying to allow every possible alternative to Helga staying here. Now, I know you guys are getting along better, but we _still_ hear fighting up there every couple days. Maybe if you two get each other something for Christmas, it might help."

Arnold and Helga looked at each other in wonder. What in the _world_ did the other one want though?

* * *

 _ **December 19th... During the morning in class...**_

Arnold temporarily took an empty seat beside his best friend at the beginning of class. " _So_ , my girlfriend ended up being drawn as my Secret Santa this year. I _have_ to get her something by next week, and I don't know much about her to pick out the perfect gift."

Gerald thought a moment. "Well, you two have been dating for a couple months on and off, right? Has she told you what she likes any time between then? I already know what I'm getting Phoebe: the new Digital Encyclopedia collection. She's had her eyes on it since the beginning of this year."

"That sounds expensive. How are you getting the money to afford _that?"_

"Extra chores, man. You do what you can for your girlfriend, though I _still_ don't understand why _you_ guys are dating. You still fight every other day, right?"

Arnold rubbed his arm nervously, "Well, the past month it's been getting a bit better. We... don't fight so often now," he started to blush when he thought about it, sure they fought with each other, but the fighting had become more in between the more they _kissed_. Quickly wanting to steer the conversation away from him, he added, "Do you and Phoebe fight?"

Gerald shrugged, "Sometimes, like occasionally we'll have a disagreement. Not every other day like you and _Helga_ ,though. I don't know how you do it, Arnold. As much as you two fight, I would've thrown her out by now."

Arnold sighed, "I _can't_ let her go homeless, Gerald. That wouldn't be me. I just _have_ to live with her."

Gerald shook his head. "Whatever you say, Arnold."

Mr. Frank walked in and sat down at his desk. "Okay, I'm tired, so we're having a free period today for the last day before winter break. Now, I know I said your projects were due today, but I'm giving you until we come back to turn them in."

Arnold looked at Gerald in surprise. "Projects? What is he talking about?"

Gerald looked at Arnold, "Don't tell me you forgot. He gave us the five-page essay on what we knew about sex-ed from last year, plus the old wives' tale. You mean to tell me that you and Helga haven't _started_ it? Phoebe and I finished it that first week."

Arnold smacked his head, "Oh, _right_. _That_ was around the time Helga moved in with me. I forgot all about it, so did she!"

Gerald was surprised, "What's up with you? You're _never_ late on projects. Are you _sure_ living with Helga is good for your mental health? You're becoming an entirely different person. You _never_ forget to do your homework."

Arnold sighed as he looked away.

As the other students entered the classroom for the day, he got up to walk back to his seat beside Helga. He thought to himself, what did he know about her? What could he give somebody that loved him for so long? What could he give someone that helped him find his parents, and even saved their _lives_ so he could live with them again? She had given him his family back that year, she deserved something _amazing_ , but what?

He remembered their last deep conversation on Thanksgiving about their fears, _her_ fears of losing him, of losing everything, and he remembered what she said... and then blinked. He smiled as he figured it out. He was surprised that he didn't think of it before. _Finally_. He knew _exactly_ what she would want for Christmas. He just needed to do a couple things to set it up...

* * *

 _ **Saturday December 20th... on Arnold's rooftop.**_

Helga was by herself. It was just starting to get dark. Arnold and all the boarders were downstairs eating dinner. P.S. 118 was already in winter break, and she had yet to figure out what to get Arnold for Christmas. She knew it couldn't be flashy or expensive, not only because she didn't have the money saved up from working when she was in the Safehouse, but because she knew it would hold _no_ value for him.

He had done _so_ much for her. He let her stay in his room for over _a month_ so far. Even when they were fighting, he _never_ threatened to break up with her or for her to leave. And he was kissing her... _a lot_. He _always_ tried to work things out. He gave her chance after chance. What could she _possibly_ give somebody that gave her _everything?_

She blinked as she remembered his words on Thanksgiving Day...

 _I know you're not ready to open up to the class. I understand that, but sometimes I wish you could open up to_ _me_ _. Remind me that my help and time isn't being wasted, that you really_ _do_ _care for me..._

She smiled. She knew _exactly_ what to do to show him how much she loved him. As she put away her broken locket, she heard footsteps coming up to the rooftop, and she froze. His parents weren't there, right? They didn't see her with her Arnold locket in her hands, did they? They had _still_ managed to keep their relationship a secret, and she didn't want that changing anytime soon.

Arnold smiled at her unsure as he walked over. "Hey, Helga. What are you doing out here without a jacket? It's cold, you know, and you're going to get sick." He took off his blue jacket and handed it to her to wear.

Helga sighed as she got up to grab his jacket. He just didn't _know_ how to stop treating her so well, despite the way she always treated him. "I don't know, just thinking, I guess." she didn't want to tell him she had figured out what to give him for Christmas; she wanted it to be a _surprise_.

Arnold watched as Helga put on his jacket and sat down again. He sat next to her, holding up a digital camera with one hand and putting his arm around her back with the other. One thing was for sure, the dozen kisses they had shared that month was making him more comfortable around her. "Smile, Babe."

Helga blinked, "Babe?" she was shocked, to say the least, he'd _never_ called her any pet names before then.

The camera flashed, and he smiled at her. "Sure, I mean, we've been together two months now, right? You have pet names for _me_ , I guess I need to come up with some for you, too."

Helga's eyes widened, "Arnold, I don't have any pet names for you."

Arnold smiled flirtatiously, " _Sure_ , you do, you call me _Football Head_ , right? That's _like_ a pet name."

Helga blinked. He was being flirty, and she didn't know why. Was he starting to realize that he loved her too? She was afraid to get her hopes up all over again.

He got up and rubbed his arm nervously. "Um, I would go downstairs and get some dinner before the borders eat it. I don't want you to go hungry." He kissed her on the cheek. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

Helga stared at him as he made his way down to his room.

She was going to give her boyfriend the _best_ Christmas present ever, but how would she do it without everybody knowing _what_ she was doing...?

* * *

 _ **December 25th... 7AM in the morning...**_

They were all in the living room, exchanging Christmas gifts. Except Arnold and Helga.

Oskar was whining after he opened a big square box. "Aw, no fair. I got coal _last_ year for Christmas. What am I going to do with all _this_ coal?"

Ernie smiled with a twinkle in his eye, "Don't know, Kokoshka, maybe you can save it for the _water boiler_."

Gertie kissed Phil, "Just what I wanted Phil, a brand-new karate outfit."

Phil nodded, "Uh huh, don't be going out every night now to test it out."

Gertie said, "Aw, Slim. You _know_ I won't do _that_." She crossed her fingers behind her back.

Stella kissed her husband as she opened a photo album. "Thanks, Miles, just think of all the memories we can save in this book."

Miles smiled when he opened a little box to receive a camera. "Seems that _you_ had the same idea I did, dear." He kissed her lovingly.

Mr. Hyunh smiled at the country CD he got of Randy Travis just as Arnold and Helga were walking down the steps that morning.

Phil said, "Hey, Arnold. Hi, Helga. Did you guys forget today's the day?"

Arnold yawned, "Sorry, Grandpa,we didn't sleep good last night." He was worried Helga wouldn't like the Christmas gift he got her.

Helga nodded in agreement. The truth was, she was hoping the gift she was giving Arnold for Christmas would be enough to prove she really _did_ love him.

Stella and Miles held each other and watched as Arnold nervously reached underneath the tree to grab a small square pink box and handed it to Helga. "Here, Helga. I hope that it's okay."

Helga nervously took it, "I'm sure it's just _fine_ , Arnold. You've done enough for me already just letting me _stay_ here."

All the boarders watched as Helga opened her gift from Arnold. She pulled out a new golden locket, the same size as her broken one, and looked at Arnold, completely touched. It had the picture he took of them outside on the rooftop that night, her with his jacket on. It was... it was _exactly_ what she wanted, but couldn't afford to get _herself,_ but how did he _know...?_

Stella smiled, "Aw, isn't that sweet Miles. He got her a brand-new locket."

Phil scratched his head, "Hmm. Say, isn't that the same kind of locket I lost over two years ago?"

Arnold rubbed his arm nervously, looking at Helga, "I remembered our conversation on Thanksgiving, and I remembered you showing me your locket. I wanted to get you another one since your old one is broken. I... um... put something in it, too. An inscription. I know that your locket had one too."

She was shaking with nerves, not expecting _any_ of this from him. It took her a couple seconds, but she got it opened to read... _Helga, my dear, you're now in my heart too, Forever. - Arnold Shortman._

She felt like fainting, her skin was a mass of nerves, and she couldn't help but sigh affectionately. Arnold grinned at her, realizing that she _loved_ his gift.

Gertie said, "Aw, now isn't that sweet? They're getting along better already."

Stella smiled, "Helga, why don't you get Arnold's gift together for him?"

Helga blinked out of her trance and replied, "Oh... uh, right." She needed to focus. The boarders and Arnold's parents and grandparents didn't need to know what was going on between them. Helga grabbed the last gift at the bottom of the tree. It was a small blue and green rectangle box, and she handed it to him.

Arnold took the box from her and opened it, very curious about what Helga came up with. He noticed a brown journal with a pen inside, just like the one his father used before. "Wow, Helga. I..." he was speechless. That was _far_ from what he expected. It was touching.

Miles smiled. "That was kind-hearted of you, Helga. Reminds me of the journal I had back in my twenties."

She whispered, so only _Arnold_ could hear, "Read the note inside the book to yourself, it's important."

He opened the front of the book and did indeed notice a note. He opened it up, it said...

 _Arnold, my love. This is a two-part gift. The other part is upstairs with your books, spine inward - Helga_

Arnold raised an eyebrow at her. She put a finger over her lip, shushing him. He blinked, now _very_ curious about what she had upstairs for him as a Christmas present.

Grandpa said, "Well, now that _that's_ all over, it's time to start the day. What are we having for breakfast, Miles?"

Miles smiled, "Stella and I are cooking eggs in a basket."

Grandma said, "Don't you mean 'toad in the hole'?"

Grandpa started walking in the kitchen, "Well, what are you waiting for, son? You and Stella got a bunch of hungry people to feed! Come on, Pookie."

Everyone but Arnold and Helga walked in the kitchen. Arnold turned to Helga curiously.

Helga rubbed her arm nervously, "It's... uh, say, I'm getting hungry, and it's going to take some time for you to get through all that, so I'm going to have breakfast with your family. See you later, Football Head." She walked in the kitchen.

Arnold blinked a moment before running up to his room to see what she was talking about. As he walked over to his bed, he noticed the one book that was turned inward, and gently pulled it out. He looked at the purple journal. It looked brand new, so she _must_ have gotten _that_ journal as well with the little bit of money she had. He opened it up to the first page. To his surprise, _this_ one was filled with words. He sat on his bed silently and started to read her words in that journal to himself.

 _Football Head,_

 _Believe it or not, this is yours to keep too. I didn't know what to get you for Christmas. After your parents were found, I figured you had everything you ever wanted. I thought to myself: what the heck can I get for a guy who's sacrificed his room and his happiness... for_ _me_ _? Who saved me from being_ _homeless_ _? It was difficult to figure out_ , _as you can only_ _imagine_ _. Then, I remembered Thanksgiving Day and our conversation about the fears in your life. I remembered you saying you didn't believe my feelings for you were real, that I was just_ _obsessed_ _or going through a phase. Got to admit, Hair Boy, you had me wondering if you were right. I spent so much time thinking of you as a god and stalking you and building a shrine of you, I had to re-evaluate my feelings for you myself. Arnold, I know I act like I don't care, but every word that I said to you on that crow's nest and on the top of the FTI building was true! I... I_ _do_ _love you. Truly, madly, deeply, unconditionally. I know it's hard to believe because I'm so hard to talk to and get along with. I have yet to figure out_ _what_ _to do about these walls I build to protect myself, but I_ _do_ _know how to write the words to show you that you're not just a_ _phase_ _for me. These pages are the beginnings of a list I've compiled together on_ _all_ _the things I've done for you over the years because... I love you. Wanting nothing in return but your happiness. Here's hoping you count my love as real when you read these pages..._

Arnold blinked in shock, there was at least a couple pages filled with words behind the first. He started the second page, curious about what all she did for him over the years that he knew _nothing_ about. He blinked when he saw the first words of the second page; she wasn't kidding. She went all the way back to _pre-school?_ He read...

 _Preschool..._

 _1\. When you got a cut on your finger during art class, I got the attention of a teacher to get you a band-aid and lead you to the nurse. Luckily, none of our classmates saw me do this..._

Arnold blinked. He had forgotten all about that. She had done it _numerous_ times when they were in preschool together. He couldn't _believe_ it slipped his mind...

 _2\. Remember that day you forgot your umbrella? Well, let me put it_ _this_ _way, it was no coincidence a pink one magically appeared at the table where you usually sat..._

He was in awe, "So, _that's_ why she went without an umbrella half of the year... huh."

 _3\. I didn't forget the time you gave me your crackers when Harold stole mine, but I bet you don't know when I did the same for_ _you_ _, only Harold didn't steal yours. You dropped them on the ground and your best friend stepped on them. I was watching. While you were searching around, I put mine on the table secretly. I sacrificed mine so that you could eat that day. I couldn't see you hungry, Arnold. I_ _had_ _to keep it a secret though. I couldn't let the other kids see what I did for you..._

"That was... _her?"_ He was touched, a warm spot developed in his heart at the thought. He continued reading.

 _Kindergarten..._

 _4\. I remember your little accidents. Don't act like I don't_ _know_ _, Hair Boy. I was the only one that found out. It was nap time and you were the first one up, I was keeping an eye on you because you were upset all day. This wasn't the only time, it was regular for a few years. I_ _still_ _don't know what happened, but something was distracting you. I went over to you and you were crying. Did you really_ _think_ _I gave you the paint smock for no reason? What about the time I "accidentally" spilled blue and green paint all over you? I was no stranger to wetting the bed, I_ _knew_ _you had accidents until first grade, and the other kids weren't going to find out about them. I made_ _sure_ _of it..._

Arnold blushed as he remembered. He was grieving the loss of his parents and couldn't think of anything else for several years. He had nightmares back then, too, but unfortunately, they consisted of _more_ than nightmares. He knew what she did but had _no clue_ that she knew what happened to him when he woke up. He whispered to himself, stunned, "She did that... for _me?"_

He turned the page to read more...

 _First Grade..._

 _5\. Yes, I_ _knew_ _about your little crush on Phoebe in first grade, and yes,_ _I_ _was the one to set you guys up at recess that day. Did you_ _think_ _I asked you questions for no reason? I was hurt, but I knew you'd get over her eventually. For the time being, I wanted to see you and my best friend happy. Phoebe hardly had any friends herself at the time, and trust me, she liked you, too..._

Arnold blinked, "Helga... she set me and her _best friend_ up, even knowing it would hurt _her_ in the long run. Wow... so _that's_ what all those questions were about... I can't believe she did that for me!"

 _6\. It was no coincidence you always had pencils, crayons, and markers in class. You dropped so many daily it was ridiculous. I didn't want you to get in trouble for having no school supplies. I was constantly putting them back on your desk. At least in the sixth grade, you're not as much of a klutz as you were five years ago..._

Arnold was silent, "So... _that's_ how all my school supplies always ended up back on my desk."

 _Second Grade..._

 _7\. Remember that Secret Santa thing Mrs. Uberman did in second grade? I knew you picked my name, well I picked_ _Gerald's_ _, but you were so upset because you didn't get Gerald's name, so I switched mine with yours. I didn't_ _care_ _about not getting a present that year. I was_ _fine_ _if you were happy..._

Arnold breathed in shock, "She... she went without a present in second grade, because of _me?"_

 _Third Grade..._

 _8\. I noticed your Boarding House freezing on a snow day when I was out playing in front of it. Yeah, I snuck in that morning. That was around the time I started stalking you. Well, I was only inside your house for five minutes before I had to leave. Your house was too cold, and your phones didn't work either. Got out the phone book at_ _my_ _house, dialed the boiler repairman to go to_ _your_ _house. Yep, I got them to ring it up on Bob's credit card that was on file. Hey, I'm not only the master of great penmanship_ _ **,**_ _they thought I was about sixteen on the phone, didn't even_ _ask_ _me about my parents. I couldn't let you_ _freeze_ _, Arnold..._

Arnold swallowed, feeling a bit emotional, "She... she did _that_ , just so I wouldn't freeze?"

 _Fourth Grade..._

 _9\. It was no miracle Mr. Huynh's daughter came back even when you couldn't finish Mr. Bailey's Christmas list, but I wasn't about to let_ _you_ _find that out. I was trying to find the perfect gift for you, only to overhear you and Gerald talking about Mr. Hyunh's daughter being found if you just had a simple pair of snow boots to give him. I practically_ _begged_ _my parents to get them for me, and threw out hints for_ _months_ _. They were the only thing I wanted for Christmas that year, but I knew if you didn't find Mr. Hyunh's daughter, you would never believe in miracles_ _again_ _. I had to give my snow boots to Mr. Bailey for his daughter that year. Your happiness was more important than what_ _I_ _wanted, and that Christmas morning, both of us searched for the whereabouts of Mai. I just_ _had_ _to see your face when Mai walked in that door. I didn't_ _care_ _that I didn't have any shoes on as I watched you from your window..._

Arnold was speechless, "She... she gave up her Christmas present so that I would still believe in miracles. Wow, Helga." He wiped his glistening eyes a moment and turned the page to continue reading.

 _10\. Remember that float you designed back in fourth grade for the city day parade? I knew how badly you wanted to do it, but nobody could fund it. My dad was rolling in the dough at the time, so I asked him to fund it. I wanted you to have a chance at seeing one of your visionary ideas become a reality. Seriously wasn't thinking Bob would turn us into all beepers later on, and it was a_ _disaster_ _after that, but hey, you still won. And I made_ _sure_ _you got_ _credited for what_ _you_ _came up with..._

Arnold smiled, "I remember that. She _did_ do a lot for me to get that design made, and she never asked for anything in return."

 _Fifth Grade..._

 _11\. Remember when you finally got over little Ms. Perfect._ _Of course_ _, I'm talking about Lila, who else would I be talking about? I know you still didn't know what to believe about my confession on FTI, especially since I started being meaner to you than I was previously. You asked Lila out for the Valentine's Day dance only to get turned down for Arnie when your cousin came to visit. I thought it was ridiculous, I mean, what the_ _heck_ _does she see in that weirdo? How could she not recognize the jewel she had right in front of her? Well,_ _I_ _hadn't forgotten about you. While you were upset you had nobody to go to the dance with,_ _I_ _wrote you a card. Yes, the one that wasn't signed._ _I_ _wrote it. I had to remind you of all the reasons I loved you, well,_ _others_ _would love you, too. I only wanted to see you smile again, I didn't want you heartbroken from her like she made you in fourth grade..._

Arnold was touched yet again, "She... she helped me get over _Lila?_ She... really cares about me, doesn't she?" He thought a moment about it, remembering. "I had a feeling she might have written the card to me..."

 _Sixth Grade:_

 _12\. Do you_ _really_ _know why I kept everything from you, why I didn't want you getting involved in my life this year when my dad moved away? It wasn't an act of selfishness, more of_ _selflessness_ _, I was_ _thinking_ _about you. About the fact that I didn't want you stressing or worrying about my problems! I didn't want you to be the adult and move me in the Boarding House! I wanted you to leave me alone so that you wouldn't have all that stress on your shoulders! I was_ _trying_ _to protect you!_

Arnold's eyes widened, "She... she _was!"_ he thought a moment, and looking back on it, he realized that she was being honest. "But, I thought... I thought for _sure_ she was just pushing me away. She was actually trying to _protect_ me?" He was speechless. She was... braver than he gave her credit for.

He read the note at the bottom of the page.

 _"Well, Football Head, there's more where_ _that_ _came from, but that's all the confessions I've got for you today. Please don't doubt my love for you, Arnold, ever. I may not always show it, but it's_ _real_ _. As real as the journal I got for you today, and as real as these pages of my writings in_ _this_ _one. I love you, Arnold. Keep this as a reminder; that way you never doubt it_ _again_ _._

 _Love always,_

 _Your girlfriend,_

 _Helga G. Pataki_

He was shaking. _Badly._ He wasn't sure _why_ he was shaking. All that he knew was that he _needed_ to go downstairs to thank Helga, _right... now..._

He put the two books she gave him on his nightstand and made his way downstairs where his family was, including Helga. They were gathered around the table eating breakfast. He spoke up, fast, "Can I borrow Helga a minute?"

Helga looked at Arnold, noticing the desperate urgency in his expression. Was something _wrong?_ Did she say _too_ much? _Now_ she was worried.

Phil said to him, "Go ahead, but hurry back, Shortman, breakfast is getting cold."

Arnold grabbed her hand to pull her upstairs, much to Helga's surprise. Breakfast was the _last_ thing on Arnold's mind. He _needed_ to thank her, for _everything_. He shut the door and locked it, just as Helga tried to speak to him.

"What the heck is a matter with you? I mean, _criminy_ , Hair Boy, where's the fire? What right do you think you have to-" And _that's_ when he pushed her shoulders against the door to kiss her.

Helga's eyes widened. _That_ was what he wanted? To bring her up to his room just so that he could _kiss her?_ Whoa. He was certainly getting _better_ at kissing; he was _already_ trying to find her tongue.

Helga growled into his mouth once she met his tongue, _sick_ of what he was doing to her emotions. _Two can play this game..._ she thought as she took both of his shoulders while he was Frenching her and pushed him back until they both reached the side of his bed, still standing up.

Arnold hesitantly broke the kiss, wondering himself what was going on _now_. "Helga wait, what... what are you...?"

"Shut up, Hair Boy, just shut up!" she connected his lips with hers again. She was _sick_ of him acting so passionately without her reacting to him. How _dare_ he expect her to just sit there and _stall_ all the times he was kissing her? Enough was enough. _That_ was going to change, _right... now..._

Arnold felt the back of his legs hit the bed and he fell on it. Helga got on top of him to pin him down, her hands on his upper shoulders. He broke the kiss again hesitantly. He was _breathless_. He was _speechless_. _What_ was happening? What in the world were they _doing?_ He whispered, nervously **,** "Helga, _stop!"_

Helga narrowed her eyes as she watched him take a deep breath in, his pupils dilating. She said, "What are you talking about, Hair Boy, _you're_ the one that started this!" and she met her lips again with his, seeking his tongue heatedly.

Arnold closed his eyes. Okay, so he didn't _want_ to stop right now. He only planned to _thank_ her though, why did he start kissing her again? He tried to focus for a minute, focus on _anything_ but her tongue against his, her body so close to his. It was... it was hard.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Trying to regain his control, he let go of her lips. He said breathlessly, "Helga. The _phone...?"_

"Yeah, yeah, I hear it, so what?"

He pushed her back from kissing him again, "We've _got_ to answer it."

She was shocked, "You're _kidding_ , right? You pull me in here _just_ to make out, and _now_ you want to stop to answer the _phone?"_

" _Please_ , Helga. _Please_? It could be important!" He was shaking _worse_ and didn't want to stop kissing, but something was telling him they needed to stop.

Helga looked into his eyes. She was confused, _why_ did he want to stop just when things were getting good? She softly replied, "Just answer me one thing, _Why_ did you kiss me?"

He said heatedly, "To... to _thank_ you, f... for the letter, now, let me grab the phone! _Now!"_ he breathed. She was driving him _insane._

She growled as she got up, irritated, "Oh, for crying out loud! _Go_ then, answer your precious _phone call!"_

Arnold walked over shakily to the phone beside the red couch and sat down. For some reason, he was _still_ out of breath as he answered the call. Trying to speak was difficult. "Hello... Yeah, I'm fine... give me a second, _please?"_ he glanced over at Helga as he caught his breath. He wanted to reassure her that he _did_ care for her, that he was stopping for a _reason_ , but he didn't know _what_ to say. Apparently, words weren't his strong point.

Helga was hurt. She couldn't believe he stopped in the middle of something like _that_ just to answer a phone call. _He_ was the one to start it, did he change his mind? She got up angrily to walk out, slamming the door."

Arnold stared at the door after she walked out. _Maybe_ Gerald was right, maybe he _was_ in over his head...


	9. Chapter 9: Dinner and a show

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. **This** chapter is still rated **Teen** , but it could _easily_ be changed to M just by switching words around for _other_ words, so _read with caution_.

* * *

 _ **Reviews**_ , two of you I private messaged, I hope you don't mind :)  
 **The J.A.M:** It's more than her eyes in this chapter lol and thanks for the review.  
 **Relaxing Pikachu:** I thank you so much for that long review, I enjoyed reading it. I PMed you my response. Also, you're very observant. You're starting to understand my plot quicker than anyone!  
 **Yali Page:** Phoebe has been absent from Helga's life, you are completely right. I think you'll like this chapter, they make-up. Thanks for the review.  
 **SakiKitty:** Oh, there is _plenty_ of progress, maybe a little _too_ much, and his family isn't going to find out they're together. Thank you for the review. Looking forward to seeing your next chapter as well!  
 **Ajay435:** She almost learns that the hard way in this chapter. Arnold starts to get _very_ sick of her at the beginning, which is understandable with the way she's being. Thanks for the review.  
 **acosta perez jose ramiro:** I used to be an Arnold/Phoebe shipper, but I was practically booed out of the fandom. That was like fifteen years ago (I'm 31), and back then, I had the idea that Arnold and Phoebe would've had a crush on each other back in first grade. I was just pulling that from an idea I had years ago. I did write a couple stories on their first grade friendship, but I deleted them before I ever posted them, knew it wouldn't be received well in this fandom, at least at the time. Thanks for the review.  
 **thatamosgirl:** Ever so precious? I think so too. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for the review.  
 **starfiction123:** As soon as you told me about the Battlefield song, I had to look it up to see what you meant. My gosh, I can't believe how perfect it works with my story! You might be surprised to find a couple familiar lyrics in this one ;) Lol this chapter might make you burst out laughing somewhere as well, especially the end, just a warning! I wanted Gertie to do something crazy, I knew she wouldn't play christmas music, that's just not her lol. You're going to start very annoyed with Arnold fast, for not being able to say the words lol. And yes, I do enjoy having them suffer in the most hottest interesting way (You'll see what I mean XD )  
 **Wicked Intentions:** I sent you a PM as well. I'm still trying to decide whether I just want to repost it. I got 6 people asking about it. I thought it would be more like two. I still have to edit that tango rendition I did too, thanks for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying this story as well.  
 **ForeverRogue** : Yeah... they have a couple more make-out sessions in this one too, and the interruptions are a little worse lol thanks for the review.

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 **Chapter 9: Dinner and a show**

Arnold had finally managed to catch his breath as he brought the phone back up to his ear. What was _happening_ to him? Instead of speaking the words he wanted to say, he _kissed_ her again. He couldn't say " _I'm sorry_ ", " _Thank you_ ", or even " _I love you_ " to her, and now she was upset at him all over again, after getting along for almost a week.

He heard Gerald reply on the other end, "Was that a door slamming I heard?"

Arnold sighed, closing his eyes and then looking down. "I'm afraid so."

Gerald spoke, " _Mmm, mmm, mmm_. You guys are even fighting on _Christmas_. That's sad, man, truly sad."

"I don't know what happened. We were getting along great and then suddenly..." he remembered how his heart sped up when he was near her, and he couldn't catch his breath, and asked, "Gerald, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, but it has to be quick. I'm opening presents in a few minutes, and then I have to meet Phoebe at the park to exchange gifts."

Arnold played with the cord on his phone nervously, "I'm just wondering, is it normal to be tongue tied around your girlfriend? You know, fumbling on your words, losing track of your thoughts."

Gerald nodded, "I get like that around Phoebe sometimes, usually when we kiss on the cheek or hold hands. It's _completely_ normal **,** buddy."

"Okay. What about when you kiss? Is it normal not to want to stop?"

Gerald paused a moment, "I _guess_. I mean, if I even get that far. I've kissed Phoebe on the lips before, but it's been rare occasions. We're still getting to know each other, and I want to take it slow with her, since she's my first girlfriend."

"So, you've never Frenched before or been caught up in the heat of the moment?"

Gerald thought a moment, " _Frenched?_ I thought that was something middle-schoolers did, and what do you mean by the heat of the moment? Don't tell me this has to do with your psychotic girlfriend, bouncing back between hating and loving you."

"Well, it _does_ have to do with her. Yes, we argue, and then we kiss and make up." He blushed at his next word. "Technically."

"Didn't I _tell_ you to break up with her? She's driving you crazy living in your room, _that's_ the problem."

Arnold knew Gerald didn't understand. He didn't know they were sleeping beside each other, or trying to get along by admitting deep things, or just _how_ far the Frenching was going. He said, "She doesn't want to be open half of the time even being in a relationship, and..." he struggled with the words. "And when I try to tell her how I feel, I get lost in her eyes. I lose my concentration and start kissing her. Each time it gets more difficult for me to stop. Is this love? If it is, why can't I speak the words?"

Gerald didn't reply for a moment, before laughing and saying, " _Man_ , oh _man_ , Arnold. I must've heard you wrong. There's _no way_ that you two are fighting like cats and dogs **,** th **e** n making out like rabbits."

Arnold rubbed his arms, "That's... _technically_ what we've been doing."

"Arnold, are you _crazy_? Do you need _therapy_ or something? Dr. Bliss is in town **;** maybe you need to talk to _her_. If you guys are fighting every day, the _last_ thing I would be doing is kissing. Work out the fighting first and _then_ make up, if you still feel like it."

Arnold paused a moment, "I was afraid you would say that. So, this isn't normal?"

Gerald said, " _Normal?_ I've _never_ felt that way around Phoebe. I've been nervous and felt like butterflies were in my stomach, but not to _that_ extent. That's like... an entirely different level! You guys need to stop kissing until you figure out if you love her. Your _tolerating_ her behavior right now. Try to work it out one day at a time. Work out the fighting first, and if she doesn't want to change, kick her out and end the relationship. It's simple."

"It's _not_ simple, Gerald. If I throw her out, she'll be homeless. She has nowhere to go. I _do_ care for her, and I don't want to see her out on the streets."

"It's not your problem she's burned all of her bridges. She said to _us_ she was going to change and be friends, then she changed her mind. Do you _really_ want to live with her the rest of your life, arguing and fighting all the time? If your family hasn't gotten a spare room yet, I think it's time you started making some serious decisions. You can't live like this!"

Arnold ran a hand through his hair. He knew his best friend was right, but he didn't want to see someone he cared about out on the streets. "I know, Gerald. I'll try to work it out one more time."

"Good luck. I hate to cut you short, but Timberly and Jamie-O are opening presents. I'll catch you later."

Arnold sighed and hung up the phone just as his girlfriend walked in the door. He looked up at her. She had a plate of breakfast in her hands. "What's this?"

She rolled her eyes, "Breakfast, _doi!_ The boarders thought you fell asleep. They told me to come upstairs and wake you up so that you could eat. _Criminy_ , Hair-Boy, I knew _I_ had it bad at the beeper emporium, but at least my family didn't treat me like I was _three_. I could sleep and eat whenever I wanted, and I wasn't watched like a _hawk_. They act like you're an infant sometimes and can't fend for yourself!"

Arnold nodded, grabbing the plate of food from her, "I know, but it's okay. After four months I'm starting to get used to it."

Helga sat beside him on the red couch. "Well, you better go downstairs and let them know you're awake."

Arnold looked at her, "I will, but first, we need to talk."

Helga blinked. A _million_ possible scenarios went through her mind, all bad ideas. _Well, this is it_ **,** _Helga ol' girl, he's sick of you. He's sick of your tongue lashing and confrontational behavior. He's going to break up with you and throw you out..._ She said, "Guess this means I have to leave, right?"

Arnold put a hand to his head, frustrated, "No, Helga, I'm _not_ throwing you out. Sure, I want us to get along, but we can try a few more things before giving up."

"Well, what is it? Did you call me over just to yell at me for slamming the door, for picking fights with you, or for jumping you in bed?"

"The last thing wasn't your fault, _I_ was the one to start it, and since you _do_ love me, I shouldn't expect you to..." he rubbed his neck, suggesting the words, "back off?"

Helga didn't know where he was going, "So, what are you trying to say?"

Arnold said, "I'm _not_ going to kiss you anymore. If I can't tell you my feelings by speaking the words, I shouldn't be kissing you to explain them. I _don't_ want to kiss you until I know that I love you."

Helga was hurt. That sounded terrible. No more kissing? _Why?!_ "So, wait a minute, you mean," she swallowed, "the only way that you can express your feelings for me is in a way that you're going to _stop_ expressing them?" _He doesn't want to kiss you anymore, he's already growing apart from you because of your stupid attitude..._

He noticed the look on her face but didn't know how to explain the way he was feeling. He only reacted and couldn't think clearly when they _kissed_. They needed to stop because of _that_ reason. He tried to explain, "Don't look so sad. I just think, well... I think we're moving too fast." _I sure hope I explained it correctly. We_ _are_ _moving too fast, right? I mean, I shouldn't be kissing her right now if I can't think when I'm doing it..._

Helga looked away, "I guess we _are_ moving fast." _He's pushing me away. He already wants to move on from you, and you have nobody to blame but yourself for it..._ She said, sadly, hoping to show him she was sincerely regretful. "I'm sorry, Arnold."

Arnold put his arm around her shoulders, "Hey, it's okay. We're still in a relationship. We have all our lives to kiss. Let's just take it one day at a time."

Helga said, "Yeah, but how else do you express your feelings for me? Face it, Arnold-o, it's only a matter of time and we'll be fighting again. All that sexual tension _has_ to be released _somehow_."

Arnold raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Are you trying to say I'm going to start picking fights with you because we're not _kissing?"_

Helga nodded **.** "We _both_ are, Arnold. How _else_ are we going to express our feelings? With kissing gone, the only thing left to do is fight. Trust me, I know **,** " she said sadly. She remembered she worked on a reactions sheet with Dr. Bliss when she was in therapy two years ago.

Arnold was speechless, "Helga, I think you're being _ridiculous_. I'm _not_ going to start fighting with you just because we're not kissing..."

* * *

 **Christmas... In the park... 1 PM...**

Arnold snapped at his girlfriend, "This is all _your_ fault!"

Helga snapped back, " _My_ fault? _You're_ the one that wanted us to go to the park so badly to try to ' _get along_ '. Like we'll _ever_ stop fighting with each other. Face it, Football Head, this is typical for being in a relationship with me!"

"It doesn't have to be! I just don't understand why you won't _hold my hand_."

"What if someone _sees_ us, you _dope_!"

He whispered harshly, "Helga, _stop it_. Stop it with all the secrecy, this is getting ridiculous. So _what_ if someone we know sees us kissing or holding hands, you _are_ my girlfriend, right? I _am_ your boyfriend, right? Did you _forget_ about that?"

"Hmm, let me _think_ about that, Mister _I Can't Admit My True Feelings_. Maybe if you could _speak_ the words, I could _show_ them."

"Maybe I _would_ be able to speak the words if you weren't so _mean_ all the time!"

"And maybe _I_ would quit being so mean if you'd quit being so stupid!"

...

Phoebe and Gerald were walking over to the pink bench, holding hands as they both looked up to see Arnold and Helga, arguing once again.

Gerald rolled his eyes, "I _swear_ those two wouldn't get along if they were the last two people on earth."

Phoebe looked saddened, "Should we try to break up the fight?"

"I don't see how it's going to make a difference, but for the sake of _Arnold_ , I guess we better." He walked over with Phoebe as he yelled out to them, "Hey Arnold, hi Helga. What a _surprise_ seeing you two in the park this time of day fighting."

Arnold and Helga blinked together, and then looked up from arguing with each other to see...

Arnold said, "Gerald?!"

Helga said, "Phoebe?!"

Gerald rolled his eyes again, "Yes, it's us. Witnessing another fight between Helga the Horrible and Arnold the Ambitioned-"

" _-Hey_ ," Helga said, speaking up, "Did you _forget_ I'm still here, Gerald-o?" She walked over to Phoebe.

"Back to the name calling again. We can never win with you, can we, Helga? Arnold, I need to talk to you a moment." Gerald walked over, putting his arm on Arnold's shoulders as they walked over to the trees in a shaded area.

Helga took a breath as she stood in front of Phoebe, for the first time since their fallout. She put her hands behind her back, nervously. "Merry Christmas, Phoebs, can we talk?"

...

Gerald said, "So, why is it every time I see you guys you're either fighting or kissing? Can't you find a middle ground and stay there?"

Arnold sighed, feeling defeated, "We stopped kissing, we're just fighting again. I figured a walk in the park would do us some good, but she _still_ doesn't want to be open about our relationship." He looked down and whispered, "It's not fair."

Gerald raised an eyebrow, "She must have some _major_ insecurity issues. Didn't you say she wanted a relationship with you in San Lorenzo? I don't get it. Doesn't the class already know, or at least they _think_ they know?"

"I..." he didn't want to admit his girlfriend's reasons for her secrecy, and instead, said, "I'm beginning to think you're right. I _do_ need to break up with her. This is more of a difficult friendship, _not_ a relationship. Maybe I didn't realize what I was doing when we started going out-"

"-Wait **,** before you end the relationship. I want you to try one more thing before giving up on her. Phoebe and I have been looking for someone to double date with next weekend. Rhonda and Harold _can't_ because they have some sort of New Year's party to go to. The only other couple going out in the sixth grade, is _you two_."

Arnold blinked, "Rhonda and Harold are _dating_? I thought Harold was dating Patti Smith."

"That's _old_ news. They broke up back in fifth grade, something about Harold losing a contest to her, anyway **,** can you guys go? And can you guys _try_ to get along? Phoebe and I don't always want to go out by ourselves."

Arnold rubbed his neck, "Isn't Helga _ex-best-friends_ with your girlfriend? I don't know if it's such a good idea."

Gerald glanced at Helga and Phoebe. Helga was walking away sadly until Phoebe surprised her, grabbing one of her hands. Helga turned around, and Phoebe threw her arms around her. Gerald smiled, proud of his girlfriend for forgiving Helga. At least _some_ good came out of all this fighting in the park. Gerald crossed his arms with a smile, "You were _saying?"_

Arnold blinked a moment in surprise as his girlfriend and Phoebe talked like they hadn't seen each other in _years_!He smiled, proud of Helga for making up. _Why can't she act that way all the time? Maybe if she did, it wouldn't be so hard for me to figure out my_ _own_ _feelings…_

 _..._

Helga had her arm around Phoebe's shoulders, "Great to have you back, Phoebs. I can't believe how stupid I was. All because of a mistake you made, I was willing to sacrifice our friendship forever."

Phoebe rubbed her arm, "Well, it wasn't exactly kind of me to admit to you staying with Olga. I knew you didn't like her-"

"-Yeah, but you were looking out for _me_ , you didn't want _me_ to be homeless. I guess I didn't see things that way, I thought you were pushing me away like everyone else has."

"Never, Helga. You told me not to speak with you anymore, so I've been avoiding you," she admitted.

"Phoebe?"

"Yes, Helga."

"Don't ever listen to me again, got it?"

"If... if you say so, Helga," Phoebe said, mildly surprised.

...

Gerald went over the details with Arnold, "So, January 4th, want to make it 2PM that afternoon? We can all go to dinner and then pick a movie to watch."

Arnold said, "Sounds good."

Gerald said, "And remember, if this doesn't cause you and Helga to become _closer_ , end it. For your _own_ sanity."

Arnold nodded, "I will. If we're still fighting by then, I'm going to end it, everything. I just hope she'll be all right if she has to live in the Safehouse."

Helga looked over as she overheard Arnold's words, and looked down at the ground in sadness. Her fears were _confirmed_ , he really _was_ ready to get rid of her. She had to change, or at least _try_ if she didn't want to lose everything she had left...

* * *

 **Later that night... at 9 PM...**

Arnold was walking upstairs to his room and in his door. Helga was already covered up in his bed and sitting up, watching him.

He put some folded clothes away as he talked to her, "I was really glad to see you and Phoebe talking again. I know you did the right thing making up with her. You need a friend to talk to with everything going on in your life." After he was done, he headed over to his wall light, "So, ready for bed? Can I turn out the lights?"

Helga played with her fingers nervously, "Actually, Arnold. I want to talk to you, if that's okay." She sounded unsure of herself.

Arnold sensed something was wrong and walked over to sit next to her, looking at her, "What's wrong?"

"I..." she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

" _For...?"_ Helga apologizing was rare, but they had been getting along since their fight in the park...

"Everything! I'm sorry for picking on you, yelling at you, and calling you names for eight years! Sorry for ridiculing you and playing pranks on you! Sorry for always harassing and belittling you for _minor_ things! Sorry for all the spit-wads, for tripping you, for bumping into you, for taking your tapioca pudding! And I'm sorry for not appreciating the affections you _do_ show me, sorry that you must _live_ with a sorry _excuse_ like me, and I'm sorry you even _had_ to move me into the Boarding House to keep me from being homeless. I... I'm sorry... for being an awful girlfriend."

Arnold was speechless for a moment. Out of _everything_ she could have said, that was the _last_ thing he expected. He moved closer to her and got under the covers beside her. He hugged her gently, "Helga, I forgive you."

She was surprised, "You _do?"_

He let go of her and nodded, looking in her eyes, "I'm sorry too."

Helga raised an eyebrow, "What the heck are _you_ sorry for, you did _nothing_ wrong. I'm _the_ one making your life difficult."

He put his hands on her shoulders, looking at her, "I have to admit something to you, Helga. Since you moved in, I've been pushing you to be something you're just not ready to be. I've been wanting you to be open about our relationship, about your feelings for me, about your struggles and fears. I haven't stopped to consider it might be uncomfortable for you to admit them, or that you're not ready to be different." Arnold looked down and let go of her shoulders. "And the truth is... I guess I've always held some resentment for you, for all you did to me. I used to think you were heartless, uncaring, unable to feel love or empathy, but time and time again, you proved me wrong. And so..." He grabbed her hands, entwining his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry for always trying to change you. I wasn't ready to accept you as you are, but I _am_ now. If you're really this mean person that's afraid to be open, I need to accept that, not try to _change_ it. If I can't accept it, we shouldn't be in a relationship. I need to look at it this way, if _you_ were to try to change _me_ , I would be upset and feel unloved, so it's _understanding_ why you're pushing me away right now because of it. I've been pushy and persistent towards you, I've been stubborn and insensitive towards what _you_ need from _me_ as a boyfriend, and so... I'm sorry for that."

Helga sighed, still upset at his consideration earlier of breaking up with her to solve their problems. Was he still considering it? "I _want_ to change, Arnold. Give me the chance to prove you wrong. I _want_ to be different."

He said, "I want you to be who _you_ want to be, not mold yourself into who _I_ want you to be."

Helga sighed, "You're not making me do _anything_. You _want_ us to get along, Arnold. That's all you've been asking for since I moved in. You and your family have treated me with _nothing_ but compassion, and I want to treat _you_ that way. Can we try it one more time? Can you give me one more chance to be different?"

Arnold stared at her in shock. _She doesn't need to change; doesn't she understand half of our fighting is_ _my_ _fault...?_ "I'm not forcing you to do _anything_ , Helga." He paused a moment as he remembered something, "Oh, I almost forgot to give you this," he reached into his pants pocket to pull out a pink key-chain with two keys on it, one purple and one pink. "This is for you. My parents made it, so you can get in and out if you want to visit friends or be by yourself. The purple key is the front door, the pink key is my room. They chose those because they think they're your favorite colors, since you wear them all the time. You're a part of this house now, almost like _family_ , and I want you to feel welcomed, not forced to change. You don't _have_ to change, Helga."

Helga stared in surprise and took the keys with hesitation. She couldn't believe it, his family _still_ cared about her, even after all she had done. But... what about Arnold's talk to Gerald in the park? He still wanted to get rid of her, right? She spoke, cautiously, "You know I want to be _more_ than family, Arnold, I want to be _with_ you. I want to hold your hands walking through the park, talk about the deep stuff in life, kiss each other goodnight," she swallowed. Would she be able to do those things now? She sure _hoped_ she would, for his sake _and_ hers.

"Helga **.** " He closed his eyes, almost in pain for having to say it again, "Why don't we see if we can get along first, and then slowly bring back the kissing."

Helga was sad, "Why don't you want to kiss me anymore?"

Arnold sighed, "I _do_ want to kiss you, Helga, but you've got to admit that making out in my bed with the door locked isn't exactly smart."

Helga was a bit relieved. _So, he's not losing his feelings for me? Heh, he's just afraid of kissing me because he can't control his hormones? Wow, that's flattering. Heh, I've got the boy all mixed up._ She smirked. "What are you saying, that Mister _Do The Right Thing_ can't stop himself after a few passionate kisses? If _I_ can stop, it shouldn't be so difficult for _you_."

Arnold said, "Helga, _you_ didn't want us to stop either, _I_ had to stop us." He rubbed his arm nervously, talking about it.

"Well _of course_ you would stop us when I'm starting to get turned on and your shaking against me, why wouldn't you? You're _Mister Perfect_. You have _morals."_

Arnold admitted to her, "I'm _far_ from perfect, and if the phone wasn't ringing, I don't know if I would've stopped us."

Helga's eyes widened. She blinked, and then blinked again. _Did he seriously just admit that?_ "Um... _what?_ I don't think I heard you, can you repeat that?"

Arnold started to blush, "My mind was shut down. I could only hear my breathing and my heart racing. I couldn't _think_ , I couldn't stop _shaking_. The phone was the only distraction I heard. I _had_ to say something right then," he whispered, admitting, "I don't think I could've stopped."

Helga was speechless and mumbled low, "Criminy..." _Ooh, wow! He wants to touch me, embrace me, kiss me all over! I've been waiting all my_ _life_ _for him to feel this way! Oh, Arnold, my love, you can take me anytime you want, take me anywhere you want. I've been waiting since I was eight for these kinds of feelings from you. He_ _wants_ _me, he really_ _wants_ _me...!_

Arnold was feeling his heart racing just thinking about it, his lower stomach tingling with nerves. He decided to think about something else and remembered what he needed to ask her, "Ooh, Gerald wanted me to ask you if you wanted us to double date with him and Phoebe next Sunday."

Helga shrugged, "Don't see why not."

Arnold smiled, "That's great. It will be our first date as a couple, and I want you to remember it. We'll be heading to a restaurant first and then seeing a movie afterwards."

Helga sighed, "Phoebs is probably going to pick out some stupid romantic comedy."

Arnold said, "I don't know what we're going to see and where we're going to eat, so I guess we'll have to wait until next weekend to find out."

Helga said, "Okay, turn out the lights now, Arnold. It's nearly ten and I'm exhausted. We've been up since, what, seven this morning?"

He got up to turn out the lights and made his way back over to her, crawling in the bed beside her and under the sheets again, facing her. "Something like that. I'm glad we talked tonight. Goodnight, Helga, sweet dreams."

"Goodnight Football- I... I mean, Arnold."

Arnold blinked in surprise, but then smiled at her; she was trying to be nicer to him, "I... I..." he paused as she looked at him quizzically, and then, he grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it. She watched him curiously as he said, "I... really want the best for you."

Helga smiled and closed her eyes, satisfied now with even a _minor_ attempt from him at admitting he cared.

* * *

 **January 4th... 1 PM...**

Arnold had done well to keep his word and not kiss Helga. Since Christmas, he had only held hands with her.

Helga was getting _annoyed_ with it. It was bad enough he couldn't say he loved her, but did he _have_ to take away all the physical stuff with it, too?

He changed for their date that afternoon in the upstairs bathroom. He was careful to avoid any of the boarders; he knew Helga was changing in his room. He wore the same outfit he wore nine months ago on April Fool's Day, it was a black suit with a blue tie. He knocked on the door to his room, before Helga said, "I'm ready, Football Head."

He walked in, shut the door, looked at Helga, and froze. She was... she was _beautiful._ She was standing up and wearing a pink dress that looked as though it was made of satin. It was the same dress she wore when they went on a dinner for four together two years ago. Her hair was curled up and hanging down, making it look a bit shorter, and she had clear lace sleeves on her arms to protect her from the cold. He was finding it hard to speak, "I... where did you get that?" he blurted out.

Helga shrugged, "Did you _think_ I didn't pack anything when I left the beeper emporium? They left _some_ of my stuff there, Bob probably thought _this_ one was Olga's considering he'd never seen me wear it. Either way, I took it with me."

Arnold was familiar with the uneasiness in his stomach, but not the tension he felt in it when he was looking at her. It had only happened a couple times in his life. He turned away, trying to focus his mind on something else, "Um... are you ready to go?"

"Just one thing, Bucko, what's with us having to walk all the way to the park to meet Phoebe and Gerald? Why not _tell_ them to meet us outside? Wouldn't _that_ have been easier?"

Arnold sighed, "I'm not trying to fight with you, Helga, I'm trying to respect your wishes. _You're_ the one that doesn't want my parents to know we're in a relationship. I'm thinking ahead, if we're going to keep it secret that we're going on a date, we _can't_ meet our best friends here _or_ walk out the front door."

Helga blinked. _Wow, he's getting_ _sneaky_ _! I didn't even_ _think_ _about his parents being skeptical. Huh..._ "Got to admit I'm _impressed_ , Football Head, but you know you could've just _lied_ to your parents instead. Told them we were going to a party or something."

Arnold's eyes looked back at her again, "I don't like lying. I told them we might go out later, so they would _expect_ us to be gone a couple hours from my room. We can make it back before nightfall."

"So, what are we doing then, going out the fire escape?" Arnold nodded lightly, still lost in thought as Helga said, "Great! Let's get going!" She climbed up Arnold's ladder, not thinking about what she was doing, only focused on getting to the park to start the date.

Arnold bit his lip as he watched her legs walk up the fire escape and felt his lower stomach muscles tense up. He tried to think of something else. She probably didn't realize _what_ she was doing, given she wasn't being very discreet. Once she was at a safe distance, he followed her up the ladder.

* * *

The four of them were in front of Chez Paris...

Gerald was wearing a black suit like Arnold's, with a red tie, "So, Phoebe and I were talking, and we thought Chez Paris would be a good place to dine tonight. I remember when all of us went on that dinner for four in fourth grade. They have some _good_ food there, plus I hear they're under new management, so they're probably even better."

Arnold looked at Gerald a bit disturbed, "You're not going to get _old moldy runny cheese_ again, are you?"

Gerald laughed lightly, "Nah, I'm trying to impress my lady, tonight. I don't think she wants to smell it."

Helga crossed her arms, "Well, do all the guys have money to pay for us? Last thing _we_ need is to be stuck doing dishes again."

Arnold and Gerald nodded at their girlfriends.

Phoebe reached for Gerald's hand and smiled. She was wearing a light blue shirt and a dark blue skirt, knee length. Like Helga, she had clear lace covering up her exposed shoulders, "I'm looking forward to spending more time with you and learning more about you, Gerald."

Gerald smiled, giving her hand a squeeze, and feeling butterflies in his stomach, "Me too, baby. Come on, I got us all a reservation. Let's start this date."

* * *

 **In Chez Paris...**

They all sat together at a round table. Phoebe was next to Gerald, Gerald next to Helga, Helga sat beside Arnold, and Arnold beside Phoebe.

Their male waiter walked over. He spoke in a very French accent, "Allo, I'm Jack, your waiter. I will be serving _vous_ tonight."

Gerald raised an eyebrow, "Jack, you're still here? How did you manage to keep the business after we-?"

Helga elbowed him on the side, she whispered, "Quiet, you moron, you really want him to know it's us?"

Arnold narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend being mean and spoke up to the waiter, "We're really sorry for what happened last time, but I'm glad to see you recovered your business."

The waiter sighed, "We lost many people because of the fiasco you kids pulled a few years ago and had to be re-licensed to a different company."

Phoebe said, "We're really sorry, sir. Helga booked the wrong restaurant."

Helga crossed her arms, a bit frustrated with her friends, "Well, go telling him everything, why don't you."

Arnold turned to Helga, "You need to be more grateful. He could refuse to serve us after what happened."

Their waiter said, "Monsieur, it's okay. I appreciate the consoling. Now what would you like to order today?"

Gerald said, holding up his menu, "First things first, can we have an _English_ version? None of us can speak French fluently like _you_."

" _Aucun probleme, Monsieur_." And their waiter took all their menus and walked off.

Arnold looked at Helga, "I don't think that was very nice elbowing Gerald, I also don't think it was right to pretend we didn't _almost_ destroy his restaurant."

Helga rolled her eyes, "Doesn't the Golden Boy act ever get _old_ for you, Arnold-o?"

Gerald turned to Phoebe and whispered, "And here we go with the fighting again."

The waiter brought them over different menus as Arnold spoke, "Thank you, sir. Can you give us a couple minutes?"

The waiter bowed as he said, "No problem, _Monsieur_. Call me when you're ready." He walked away.

Helga looked down at the menu; her left bang fell in front of her face, but she ignored it, "Hmm, smart idea, _Gerald-o_. We should have asked for an English version _last_ time."

Gerald spoke as he looked down at the menu, "Just trying to think ahead, Helga." _I_ _still_ _don't know how he puts up with her back-and-forth attitude. I would go_ _insane_ _._

Arnold looked up from the menu at Helga and was more speechless than he was earlier. Before he could stop himself, he heard himself ask her, "Cecile?"

Helga blinked in surprise, and then quickly pulled the bang that was hanging out behind her ear, "What... what are you talking about, Arnold, it's me, _Helga_."

Arnold blinked, "You were _Cecile_ , I went to this restaurant with you _two years ago_."

Gerald said, "What are you talking about, Arnold? You didn't go on a date with Cecile, _I_ did, and _of course_ you went with _all of us_ to this restaurant two years ago, on our dinner for four."

"No, Gerald. That's not what I'm talking about. Helga was the one I went on a date with that Valentine's Day that _pretended_ to be Cecile!"

Phoebe was surprised, "I didn't know you went on a date with Arnold in the fourth grade, why didn't you tell me?"

Helga said, "Maybe because I didn't _want_ you guys to know. For crying out loud, it's not a _good_ thing that I broke open Arnold's letter from Cecile and forged her handwriting just to go on a date with him."

Phoebe gasped in surprise as Gerald just shook his head, " _Man,_ oh _man_ , you sure went to a lot of trouble to keep that a secret, _Pataki."_

Arnold was looking at her differently. _She did all of that, just to go on a date with_ _me_ _? How come I never noticed the similarities between Helga and Cecile before...?_

Helga noticed all three of them staring at her, and said, "Oh, criminy, would you guys get over it? That was two years ago!"

Arnold said, leaning toward her, "Helga, why did you do it?"

Helga smacked her head, "Why do you _think_ I did it, Bucko? Did I need to tell you _three_ times?"

Gerald stared at Helga with a smile, "You know, for some reason I'm not so mad that you forged a letter, I'm actually _impressed_ you managed to make a lasting impression on Arnold. What did the two of you talk about that night? Whatever it was, he didn't get over it for _months_."

Helga said, "Well, you've opened a can of worms now, Arnold-o. Thanks _a lot."_

Arnold narrowed his eyes, "And you _never_ answered my question, why did you do it?"

Helga sighed, "Maybe because... maybe because I wanted to show you who I _really_ was, make you like me for _me_. Maybe I just wanted to be open with you for once!"

Arnold was confused, and with those comments from her, he had a whole list of more questions, "But... Helga, you _have_ me at dinner with you now, and you _can_ be open with me all the time. You don't _have_ to put up these defenses anymore."

Helga growled, "I thought you were going to quit trying to change me, Arnold."

Arnold said, "I'm _not_ trying to change you, Helga, you said that's how you _wanted_ to be. If you were open on Valentine's day, somewhere in your heart, _that's_ the way you really are."

"I was in a _disguise._ You couldn't _recognize_ me. _That's_ why I was open with you. I _had_ to play somebody else," she rubbed her arm nervously. "Um, another role other than _myself."_

"But... you weren't playing somebody else, were you? You were being _yourself_ , weren't you, Helga?"

Gerald spoke, "Uh, hate to interrupt this tender argument between the two of you, but me and my girlfriend are getting _hungry_. Can we _please_ order something?"

Helga scowled, "Yeah, Arnold _-o_. Stop provoking me. I said I would open up and stop fighting, I didn't agree to be psychoanalyzed." She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Look, I'm trying, but don't expect it to happen overnight, because it's not _going_ to."

Phoebe said to Arnold, "Helga's right, Arnold. You have to be patient with her."

Arnold sighed, "I'm sorry, Helga. Let's just order something."

* * *

 **After dinner...**

Gerald was outside the restaurant, talking with Arnold, "I've got to admit, I didn't expect Helga to come around so much. What did you do to her? She's seems a lot nicer than she was in the park that day."

Arnold shrugged, "I don't know what happened, I think she just realized she needed to change." His eyes wandered over to Helga and Phoebe, automatically seeking out their legs, and he blinked. It was one thing to look at _Helga's_ , but why was he looking at _Phoebe's_. Was he out of his _mind?!_

Gerald continued, not noticing Arnold's lack of attention to him, "Well, whatever you did, keep it up. This is the Helga G. Pataki I _want_ to see. Not the one that's yelling and screaming at everyone, but the one that's willing to argue her point and work stuff out. I'm taking it that you're not breaking up with her now, are you?"

"Huh?" Arnold looked at Gerald **;** he could only make out him saying the words _'breaking up_ ' but didn't catch the entire conversation. He replied, somewhat cautiously, "Why would I break up with her? Living with her has been better since we stopped arguing as much."

"Exactly my point. If you guys are getting along and she's not being a pain to live with, I'd stick by her. Maybe now that Phoebe and her are friends again, we can go on more double dates. She's okay to be around once you get past all the bullying."

Arnold tried to focus his attention away from his girlfriend's curves, his mind foggy. It was _then_ he realized Gerald was waiting for him to speak. _Wait... what was he talking to me about?_

Thankfully, Helga and Phoebe walked over to them and they started walking to the theater, Gerald forgot about the conversation...

* * *

 **Outside the movie theater...**

Helga spoke, "So _people_ , what gory violent movie are we seeing tonight?"

Gerald pointed at a billboard outside, and said, "How about the movie, ' _That'_ , _that_ looks like a scary movie."

Helga rolled her eyes, " _Please_ , only a numb-skull is afraid of a stupid clown."

Arnold pointed up at another, "How about _this_ one, _'Train to Hillwood'."_

Helga remembered Arnold, Gerald, and her going on a haunted train, and thought to herself, _It might not be half bad..._

Phoebe spoke up, "I don't know about a scary movie. I was thinking of watching a comedy."

Gerald said to all of them, "Well let's vote on it. Who wants a scary movie?" Arnold and Helga raised their hands almost immediately. Phoebe sighed, until Gerald put an arm behind her shoulders, "Relax, _baby_ , you can hold my hand and bury your face in my chest during _all_ the scary scenes."

Phoebe smiled up at him. _He's such a sweet boyfriend._

Helga noticed Arnold's attention on another billboard, "Hey, _Football Head_ , are we getting tickets, or _what?" Criminy, is he_ _ever_ _going to get his head out of the clouds?_

Arnold blinked out of his trance. Why was he looking at an R **-** rated movie poster of women in _swim wear_? Everything was luring to him, and he didn't understand it. Was it the feelings that overwhelmed him when he looked at those things? _Why is everything turning me on? I've got to think about... think about something else, this gory movie we're going to watch. Yes, I need to focus on that instead of these images I keep seeing. It's getting annoying feeling like this..._ He walked over to the ticket booth with his girlfriend.

* * *

They were in the very back of the theater. There weren't too many people there.

Helga glanced at Phoebe and Gerald as they were watching the movie. She had to admit, they were an adorable couple. Gerald and Phoebe were currently holding hands, and every time a scene came up that frightened Phoebe, she would bury her head in his chest. Gerald would pat her back and smile, pleased with himself for some reason. Maybe it was so he could hold her?

Helga scowled with her arms crossed as she watched the _not_ _ **-**_ _so_ _ **-**_ _scary_ movie. She should've figured it would be nowhere _near_ as good as the ones that were rated PG-13 and higher. Too bad they were only 11. If only her boyfriend was _two_ years older than her instead of _one_ , they could all watch a _scary_ movie.

She was also irritated because Phoebe was able to show physical affections toward Gerald, but Arnold and her _still_ hadn't kissed since Christmas. She didn't understand it. They weren't arguing anymore, so what was holding him back? Wasn't _he_ the one that wanted to be open about their relationship?

Helga turned to her boyfriend and whispered, "Can you _believe_ this chase scene? I don't know how people think this is scary. I mean, criminy, the zombie doesn't even _look_ dead."

Despite being incredibly tense, Arnold had to laugh, "I suppose when you're seeing any movie under PG-13, it isn't going to be very scary. I'm sorry, Helga."

Helga said, "What are _you_ apologizing about? I agreed with you to see this movie. I didn't think it would be another thriller that flunked in the box office. When you turn 13, we're _both_ going to see a good gory thriller, not this childish excuse for one."

Arnold laughed, "You're definitely not like any girl _I've_ ever met."

"What? Did you expect to be dating a dainty airhead or something? Never been that way, never _will_ be."

"Well I'm glad. I'm having a wonderful time on our date together tonight." And it _was_ true, he had enjoyed their time together, despite being nervous and on edge for some reason.

Helga took a glance at Gerald and Phoebe again. Gerald was whispering in her ear, and Phoebe was laughing. Helga sighed. _Why can't Arnold get closer to me like_ _them_ _? We're getting along great! I haven't even been picking fights with him, what's his deal?_ She paused a moment as a smile came to her face. She had an idea. _Wait a minute, Arnold said_ _he_ _couldn't kiss me, but he never said_ _I_ _couldn't kiss_ _him_ _. He just doesn't want to start anything I'm not comfortable with, but how would_ _he_ _be starting if_ _I'm_ _the one to start it. Helga, you're a genius._

She reached over and grabbed his hand to hold it, which was on his upper thigh.

Arnold felt a shiver go down his back as she grabbed his hand. _Relax. It's just Helga. She's just holding your hand..._ He blinked as he thought **,** _Hey, why is she holding my hand in public? She's_ _never_ _done that before._ He looked at her in surprise.

" _Relax_ , Arnold. Quit being so _fidgety_. I'm just holding your hand!"

 _Why does a simple touch from her cause me to shake? Is it because it's_ _her_ _?_ He replied, aloud, "I'm not used to you being so open about your feelings for me, Helga. Are you _sure_ you want to hold hands with everyone watching?"

"Arnold," she held out a hand in front of them, "There's like, fifteen people out there and _none_ of them are watching us. They're not even from our _school_. Why would they look back here anyway, they're too engaged in the movie!" _Or each other, like your best friend and_ _my_ _best friend. Come on, Arnold, loosen up already! You're supposed to be my_ _boyfriend_ _...!_

Arnold tried to relax as she held his hand tightly. _I guess she's starting to be more open about our relationship. I'm surprised she's so laid back about holding my hand. This is exactly what I wanted from her, so why can't I relax? Does Helga really make me_ _that_ _nervous...?_

Helga waited for him to do something, anything but _just_ hold her hand. She could tell he _wanted_ to make a move, but he _still_ refused to touch her lips with his. It was irritating and frustrating. _Well, he_ _did_ _say he wanted me to start being open about our relationship, and there_ _is_ _nobody to see us, so why not?_ She moved her hand that was holding his hand, up his arm slowly.

 _That_ got Arnold's attention. He looked into her big pupils, at the longing look in her eyes. Was she going to _kiss_ him? Right _there?_ He was losing focus again. "Helga, what's-" and _that's_ when she met his lips in a heated kiss. She slowly licked his lips and with no hesitation from her at all, she brought her wet tongue into his mouth.

Helga's mind was screaming this was _dangerous_. _Anyone_ could walk in from their class and see them. _Anyone_ could find out she was in love with Arnold! Her heart was another story. She was nervous, but she was excited as well. _I'm doing this, I'm doing this in public! I'm showing my true feelings for Arnold! I'm being_ _completely_ _open with him, for probably the first time in my entire_ _life_ _! I'm being myself, I'm being vulnerable. Yes, I did it, Football Head, I really did it! You'd be_ _so_ _proud of me! Criminy, I'm proud of_ _myself_ _! I took the risk...and you're all mine now. Forever and always, until the end of time..._ She sighed into the kiss, deepening it even more, dueling her tongue faster with his.

Arnold's mind had shut down the moment her lips met his. She was so soft to the touch. So different than how she presented herself to the world. A side of her that only _he_ got to see. He wrapped his arms around her back as he brought her on top of him to kiss her some more. Were they really doing this? Making out like two teenagers in the back of a movie theater? Why was he avoiding this for so long? What were his _reasons?_ He knew there had to be a reason, but he didn't know what it was. This was... _amazing_! He felt the shiver run down her back as his hands moved up and down the top of her spine. _Wow, she actually_ _shivered_ _in my hands just from my_ _touch_ _. She_ _must_ _be enjoying this too. Wow, Helga. Where did you learn to kiss like that? She's... she's perfect._

Three minutes later, they were _still_ kissing, and Helga didn't want to stop. Repeating Arnold's gestures of running his hands around her back, she pulled him towards her to feel down his back. She felt him groan in her mouth, and she sighed in his. _He pulled me on top of him, and I can't believe I just made him_ _groan_ _in my mouth. Criminy, Arnold-o, I had no_ _clue_ _you could be this way!_

Arnold felt more tension building inside of him and didn't know what to do with it. He didn't want to stop kissing, quite the contrary, he wanted to get _closer_ somehow, and the tension was getting _unbearable_. Five minutes of making out had done nothing but _frustrate_ him. His patience was wearing thin. _This feeling, what do I do with this feeling? I've_ _never_ _felt this way. How do I take away this tension, how...?_ He ran his hand down the curve of her hips to her waist and she moaned softly, that... _that_ only made the tension worse for him. _Stop, stop, I need to stop. I need to think about something else. This is too much too fast!_ But his hand reached her backside without his mind **'** s permission and groped her to pull her closer.

Helga gasped in shock. She broke the kiss and slapped his arm that groped her, hard.

Arnold yelped in pain as Helga got up. She sat back down beside him and crossed her arms in irritation.

Gerald was still looking at the screen, and he said, "Stop being sissy's over there, it's not _that_ scary. Besides, this is the best part!"

Phoebe smiled at Gerald, oblivious of anything else going on.

Arnold and Helga looked at each other, _speechless..._

* * *

 **Outside the theater, after the movie...**

Gerald said, "Well, I don't know about you two, but Phoebe and I are going to grab some snacks and more drinks for the walk home."

Phoebe said to her boyfriend, "Would you like me to pay this time, Gerald?"

Gerald shook his head, "No way, you're _my_ girlfriend, and a gentleman _always_ pays for his girl." He grabbed her hand. "Come on **,** Phoebe baby, you can pick out whatever you want." They walked back in the theater.

Arnold and Helga exchanged awkward glances at each other. Helga was annoyed but frustrated, Arnold was just frustrated, with both Helga _and_ himself.

He spoke nervously, "Um, back there in the theater, what happened, uh..." He rubbed his arm and blushed, looking into her eyes. "It was uncalled for, I'm sorry."

Helga blushed too, "It's... it's okay. I mean, I _was_ egging you on, right?" She rubbed her arm nervously as well.

Arnold didn't want to think about what happened and tried to turn his attention to something else. _That's_ when he caught site of the billboard again from earlier, the one with the women in _swim wear_. Everything inside of him began to react to the image. He closed his eyes. _Concentrate... concentrate... concentrate..._

Helga noticed the desperate look in Arnold's eyes, the pain in his expression. She put an arm around her boyfriend's shoulders as she stood beside him, looking into his eyes. He glanced at her curiously, "Hey, what's wrong, are you okay? Don't tell me you're _that_ worried about what happened back there, forget about it," she laughed nervously. She regretted her next words as soon as she said them, but she wanted to reassure him that it was _okay_ , that she _forgave_ him. "Heat of the moment, right?"

He was focused on her. Her styled hair, her blue eyes, her worried expression. Heat of the moment? Maybe _that_ was what it was about, but then why did he want to get caught up in it _again?_ And how could he forget about making out in the back of a theater with his girlfriend? The very idea was _impossible_ to forget, and the thought was making him _more_ wound up.

Thinking of that, he gently took her shoulders and backed her up into the alleyway beside the theater. He was _desperate_ , but not _unreasonable_. With the little bit of thought he had left, he managed to think she wouldn't want anyone they knew to see them outside of the theater, making out.

He gently pushed her against the wall as she stared into his large pupils. Was he going to _kiss_ her, _touch_ her, _talk_ to her? _What_ was going on...?

He looked so desperate for something, and it _scared_ her. She didn't know if it was sadness, fear, pain, _or..._

" _Please_ ," he whispered softly to her, his hands moving down her arms to grab her hands and entwine them with his, " _Please_ kiss me," he met her lips heatedly, quickly searching for her tongue.

She reacted quickly, moaning into his mouth as he found her tongue and brought himself closer to her, closer to the wall.

Helga was stunned. _That's_ what he wanted to do? Kiss her out in the _open?_ He didn't even need to ask. _Of course,_ she wanted to kiss him, and she guessed if he was willing to start kissing _her_ again, she was willing to try this public relationship thing. It couldn't be _that_ bad, right?

Arnold was losing control. He was _still_ trying to find a way to get rid of... the _frustration_ he had within him. He groaned in her mouth, and with his hazy thoughts, managed to think **:** _Closer, closer. If I get_ _closer_ _, maybe the feelings will go away. Every time some friction is created between us, I start to feel better. Let me, let me try something..._ Having _no_ clue what he was doing, but willing to try anything _once_ , he grabbed the top of her left leg to try to wrap it around his waist, to try to make the discomfort go away.

Helga wasn't even thinking, she was enjoying every second of their make out session. _Oh criminy, Football Head, if I'd known you were_ _this_ _primal, I would've jumped you myself as soon as we got off that plane! You're_ _so_ _good with kissing,_ _so_ _good with touching,_ _so_ _... criminy, is he lifting my leg up around his waist?!_ she shivered. _My God, this is_ _insane_ _...!_

Unfortunately, _that_ happen to be the time Gerald walked over to the alleyway to see them. Helga's leg around Arnold's, their hands entwined on the sides, they were French kissing passionately. It was almost enough to make Gerald _sick_. He managed to call out to his girlfriend, a bit speechless. "Uh, Phoebe, I, uh, I think I found them." Phoebe walked over. She was speechless at first, and then she giggled as Gerald yelled out to them, "What in the _heck_ are you two doing?! You guys stopped fighting to start doing _this?!"_

Arnold and Helga seemed to snap out of their trance.

Helga lowered her leg from Arnold's waist and looked at Gerald and Phoebe with a blush. She straightened her dress as Arnold pulled at his shirt and straightened it, trying to look less disheveled and feverish, somehow.

Gerald stared, "You know, I'm _not_ even going to ask this time."

As soon as Helga was settled down, she put her hands on her hips, "Then _don't_ ask, Gerald. Not every part of our relationship is _your_ business."

Gerald looked over at Arnold, curiously, "Arnold, what were you...?"

Arnold met his best-friends eyes, talking softly, "I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?"

Gerald's eyes widened in shock until Phoebe grabbed his hand to pull him away to walk home.

* * *

 **Arnold's room, 9 PM that night...**

The walk home to their house was silent. They were both too nervous to talk about what happened in the alleyway or the movie theater. After they had climbed up the fire escape, changed into their night clothes, and ate dinner downstairs, they were back in Arnold's room. They were sitting on his bed; the silence was uncomfortable.

Arnold broke it, not being able to stand not talking to her anymore. He admitted, "Something's wrong with me, I can't pinpoint it."

Helga rolled her eyes, " _Please,_ Arnold, nothing's _wrong_ with you. You're just like any other twelve-year-old, hormone driven. You're sexually frustrated."

Arnold said softly, "It's never affected me before."

"You've never _lived_ with another girl your own age before, _slept_ in the same bed, _stayed_ in the same room all at the same time. I'm also your _girlfriend_ , so it's normal for you to feel that way. Heck, it's not a problem, you can do whatever you want to me, like I care," she admitted, but then added softly, "But the next time you grope me I'm chopping limbs off-"

"-I just don't know _why_ I reacted that way. I wanted to get rid of that feeling, but... I didn't know _how_ **,** " he blushed, looking at her a bit embarrassed from admitting something so personal.

Helga laughed and said, sarcastically, "Of _course_ you know how to get rid of it. You're a _boy_ , right? Just go to the bathroom and 'play with yourself'. You _do_ know how to ' _choke the chicken'_ , right?"

Arnold's confused glance directed at her told her he _didn't_. He asked, "What do you mean 'play with myself', and why would I play with myself or a chicken in the bathroom?"

She slapped her head, " _Please_ , Arnold. _Please_ tell me that your parents have had _that_ talk with you."

He shrugged, "If it has to do with sex, they haven't. The most I know is what they taught us in the fifth-grade last year. You know my parents see me as a little kid."

Helga asked, holding out a hand, "But... what about your grandparents, didn't they teach you _anything?"_

"I tried talking with them about it last year, but they both made an excuse every time to avoid the subject, so I quit asking."

Helga rolled her eyes, "Figures. You know, that reminds me, we have that _stupid_ project due tomorrow for sex-ed."

Arnold was shocked, "I forgot _all_ about that. I don't know if we can get done in time."

Helga sped over to her backpack to grab it, and she passed Arnold his. They got out their notebooks, spreading out papers on his bed, "Sure we can, Football Head. I'll do the essay, _you_ do the old wives' tale. I know _way_ more about sex than _you_ anyway. We'll be done in no time."

"Are you _sure_? The essay is supposed to be five pages."

"As much as I know, I could write a _book_ , now start writing, Football Head. I want some sleep tonight!"

"Whatever you say, Helga."

And with that, they started working on their project...

* * *

 **12 AM, January 5th...**

Helga was on her knees on the floor, leaning on his bed. She was finishing the last few words of their paper. She put down her pencil **;** she was satisfied with herself for writing and editing a 5-page essay in only three hours. She took a glance over at Arnold, who was oddly still writing, sitting up, his pillows behind him, "What the... Arnold, _I_ was the one with the 5-page essay, what's _your_ excuse?

He looked over at her, "I needed to look in one of our class books to find information about the stork tale, where it came from. It took me awhile to find it."

"If you _dare_ tell me that you still _believe_ that crap-"

"-I know the stork isn't real, Helga, _that's_ why I chose it as the old wives' tale."

Helga shook her head, "You know, it would've been easier just to ask me." She got up from the floor to sit on his bed next to him, holding out her part of the homework assignment to him.

Arnold put down his pencil as he finally finished the assignment. He looked at her and grabbed the papers from her to put them together and into his binder. He turned to her again, skeptically this time, "Oh, come on, you don't know where that myth _really_ came from, right?"

Helga paused a second before she explained, "Hans Christian Andersen in early 19th century wrote a story called _The Storks_. Storks found babies in caves or marshes and brought them to houses, either in a basket or carrying them in their beaks. Read it before somewhere."

Arnold looked at her in shock, that was what he remembered writing, but it took her a matter of _seconds_ to remember it, not _hours_ to find it. He looked at her admirably, asking, "How do you know all of this?"

Helga said, " _Hey_ , you don't think women get curious too? I looked in books, on the internet. Actually, Football Head, I'm surprised _you_ haven't. You have a computer in here, why not look on _there?"_

Arnold rubbed his arm, "I... don't feel comfortable checking out a book on sex, and I'm afraid of what I'm going to find on the internet. I _did_ look up basic stuff last year, but I didn't want to accidentally click on the wrong thing." He admitted, blushing.

Helga rolled her eyes, "Why does _that_ not surprise me?"

He was impressed with her and wanted to know more. He asked, curiously, "So, how does it work? I mean, does the guy just push it inside and that's it? They lay there like that and hope she gets pregnant?"

Helga blushed. She was embarrassed with the question, more-so with the fact that he didn't _know_. She whispered back, "You _really_ don't know a thing about sex, do you?"

Arnold looked away, embarrassed, "No... not really."

"Well, you can ask _all_ the questions you want in class tomorrow, Hair Boy."

Arnold raised an eyebrow, "We have sex **-** ed tomorrow?"

"That's what Mr. Frank said when we started the project in November, that we would have sex **-** ed after we turned in the essay and came back from winter break. I think the classes are together this year."

"I forgot all about that..." he said, thoughtfully.

"Well, I don't know about _you,_ but it's midnight and _I'm_ tired. Turn out that light so we can get some rest."

Arnold walked over to turn out the light. He was feeling _a lot_ more relaxed after talking, and tiredness was starting to overtake him. He laid down beside her, facing her, "Helga?"

Helga opened her eyes to try to see his face in the dark, "What?"

Arnold tried to say the words, tried to tell her how much she meant to him, but he didn't know _where_ to start. He sighed, settling for grabbing one of her hands underneath the covers. and he whispered to her, "Thanks, for everything."

Helga closed her eyes again, hoping to get some much-needed rest from the odd day she had...


	10. Chapter 10: The Birds and the Bees

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. **This** chapter is still rated **Teen** , but it could _easily_ be changed to M just by switching words around for _other_ words, so _read with caution_.

* * *

 **Ezza:** Things aren't looking too good for Arnold in this chapter either, and thanks for the review.  
 **The J.A.M:** I'm trying to find a balance between him being innocent and wise. It's not easy. I mean, as a twelve-year-old he can't be _that_ dumb, but I don't think his parents or grandparents have told him a lot of stuff either, thanks for the review.  
 **Wicked Intentions:** His girlfriend is _very_ tempting in this chapter, and you would be right, they can only keep being interrupted for so long lol thanks for the review.  
 **Ajay435:** That is _exactly_ why things are progressing so fast. They are almost _forced_ to work out their problems. Arnold knows Helga will be homeless if they don't. About the physical stuff, puberty doesn't help _either_ of them, plus them sharing the same bed together, plus the door being locked at night, plus the boarders not knowing they're in a relationship. Honestly, they're setting themselves up for _disaster,_ and you'll see the beginnings of that in this chapter. Gerald _does_ react a bit, but Arnold changes the subject. He's trying to keep things private, which is also a recipe for disaster. Thanks for the review.  
 **FullThrottleAmmy:** Thank you so much for the encouragement to keep going! This chapter is more risk taking than the last, especially the end. Thanks for the review.  
 **Starfiction123:** Well, I don't know about him finding out that he's not broken in this story lol but it will definitely entertain you. More making out in the chapter ahead, thanks for the review. Don't forget the ambulance XD  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** You will see Arnold's naïve nature and Helga's worldliness in this chapter. Thanks for the review.  
 **ForeverRogue:** I don't think Gerald knows _what_ to think. I enjoy writing every second of these make out sessions between Arnold and Helga. There's a few more in this chapter by the way, and Arnold _does_ understand things a _whole lot better_ in this chapter XD Thanks for the review.  
 **Thatamosgirl:** Thanks for the encouragement, and thanks for the review. I hope you enjoy this crazy chapter.  
 **Sakikitty** : I'm going a bit deeper in this story, and I hate to say this, but they probably _will_ make a lot of the mistakes you're thinking of. Thanks so much for the review.  
 **Hi Chan:** The kids look down on Helga _a lot_ in this story. Helga also stays mean for a while, but things _will_ start to get better in later chapters. Helga is struggling with being nice because she's never been treated that way by anyone but Arnold, Phoebe, and Dr. Bliss. No, it doesn't give the kids a right to look down on her, she's only reacting because of how she's been treated in the past. It's difficult to change a pattern like that. I don't know what you mean by Arnold's problem affecting Helga, unless you put some _serious_ plot pieces together, if you did, congratulations; you're onto something, and it _will_ (Sorry to say) Arnold's family will continue to treat Helga well in this story though, especially Stella. Some very touching moments in this chapter between Stella and Helga you might like. Thank you for your review.  
 **Relaxing Pikachu:** Aw, you didn't have to review, I got your long PM, but I appreciate it. 😊 Arnold gets smarter as this story goes on, maybe a little _too_ smart, but he has Helga as a girlfriend, so that would make sense. Gerald is reacting perfectly normal, but yes, Arnold's maturity levels are _way_ higher than his so there's more points he'll be shocked in this story. Helga is _worse_ with her knowledge in this chapter, it might irritate you a bit, so I'm sorry ahead of time lol. I really believe she's very wise with some of the things she says in the show, but I also realize this chapter goes a little extreme with that wisdom. It will crack you up, though, I can promise you that. Thanks for the review. (By the way, who are you on Facebook? I would be taking a guess at this point, and I don't want to guess wrong…)  
 **TheWasp1995:** Hey, I got your PM. I appreciate the long honest reviews, _that's_ what I like, and I'll be checking out those two stories soon. I'm curious how you're going to play Arnold and Helga in that last one. Very thankful to hear Arnold is _in-character_ in this story. I've been pushing him to be more in character than any of the other characters because of what's going to happen in the next chapters. He is a _very_ big part of the plot later. If he's not in character _now,_ these M rated chapters aren't going to make sense. I played Helga more aggressive for a reason, mostly to show her struggle to change from being a bully. I have something planned for her later that I know you'll _love,_ and she will mellow out a bit eventually. I try and get inside the characters heads in my stories so that you guys understand what's going on, I've noticed it makes the experience of reading it feel more real and you can picture everything happening as if it's right in front of you. I got that idea from reading Lord Malachite's: "The Sweet Hereafter" back in 2005. Highly recommend it! That story is amazing and so vivid! He inspired me to write, Cafeteria Confessions, but I played my story with a completely opposite plot. I don't know why, but I've always been the queen of drama, and yes, this is _way_ dark for Hey Arnold, I completely agree with you. Thanks for the review!  
 **Anya112:** Oh, all the praise goes to my editor for always catching my mistakes. I'm not the greatest with grammar errors. I can only proofread and edit so much. The sexual tension with Arnold and Helga will get _worse_ in this story since they're just starting to go through puberty, but there's _a lot_ of Frenching in this story, two more make-out sessions in this chapter alone. You will have trouble seeing they're only 11-12 at times while reading this. If it helps, pretend they're fifteen. XD The problem is that Arnold and Helga are so emotionally and physically mature for their age, even in the series, they act older than they really are. They will grow _a lot_ in this story, and I almost _did_ get this chapter out yesterday, but it didn't happen. I'm getting over being sick. Thanks for the review.  
 **BurnADarkSoul5000:** Wow, that was _a lot_ of reviews, thank you! So glad you're liking this story so far, and yeah, I took a while to come back, but life happens. The Jungle Movie motivated me big time to try my hand at something again, Post-TJM and take another risk. Hope you enjoy this one as well!

Also, I would like to give credit to **Starfiction123** for inspiring the beginning of this chapter. 😊

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Birds and the Bees**

 **January 5th... 6:59 AM...**

Helga was sleeping peacefully that morning. Arnold was behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him in his sleep. It was extraordinary _bliss_ for her, until...

"... _HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD!_ "

SMASH!

Helga growled as she threw his potato clock against the wall. It split in two and finally stopped saying that annoying phrase. She said, "Criminy, Hair-Boy, aren't you getting a little too _old_ to have all those stupid potato clocks lying around?"

Arnold started to stir from his sleep as soon as he heard his alarm clock shatter in pieces. He sighed, still half asleep as he asked her, "Was that alarm clock number nine? Helga, you _have_ to stop breaking them, I don't have many left."

Helga said, "Well, learn to use a regular clock like a normal twelve-year-old," she paused as she felt his arms still around her, "And who said you could touch me? For crying out loud, don't we go through this every morning? What am I, your security blanket?"

Arnold's eyes were still closed, and he yawned, but he didn't let go of her, "At the end of fifth grade, I got used to grabbing my pillow in the middle of the night to hold. That might be why I reach for you."

Helga complained, "Oh, that's just _brilliant_. Not only do I get to sleep in this cramped up bed every night, but every morning, I'm held hostage!"

Arnold opened his eyes and said softly, "Hey, there's nobody here but us right now and the door is locked. There's no need to hide anything. I thought this was the kind of stuff you _wanted_ in a relationship."

"I do! It's just," she sighed, "I'm just not _used_ to all the physical touchy feely and sappy stuff, _all right?_ Got to remember, Miriam and Bob weren't exactly the world's _greatest parents_. It was a rare chance I'd _ever_ get a pat on the back or a hug from _either_ of them."

Arnold loosened his grip on her as he woke up some more, "Sorry, I didn't think this might make you uncomfortable. I'll try to stop-" Although he tried, he subconsciously squeezed her tighter for a few seconds before loosening his grip.

She growled in aggravation, "-And what's _with_ you? Didn't you tell me you had nightmares every night?"

He hated that she was so grumpy in the mornings, "I _did_ use to have nightmares every night, but they stopped when you moved in. I keep thinking it has something to do with your presence. I've tried every other resolve, they didn't work."

That put a smile on his girlfriend's face, "Glad to hear I'm wanted around here, Bucko. Now get your filthy hands off me so I can get in the shower before the line starts."

Arnold let go of her as he sat up, yawned again, and stretched his arms out. He didn't want to get up. While sleeping, his body was more relaxed than any other time during the day. He said, "I still don't understand why you feel the need to put up your defenses when no one's around."

Helga got up from his bed, and shrugged, "Old habits die hard, I suppose."

Arnold sighed as he got up from the bed as well, "You're not really going to change, are you?"

Helga scowled, "I don't know, Football Head. Maybe I _am_ , maybe I'm _not_. You got a problem with that?"

Arnold walked over to the door, and glanced back at her, "I'm through trying to change you, Helga. If you _really_ want to be insensitive, inconsiderate, and mean all the time, I _can't_ do anything about it." He walked out.

"Took you long enough! About time you finally realized it!" She was happy about his willingness to leave her alone.

* * *

 **Thirty minutes later...**

Stella smiled as the two preteens ran down the steps, "Hi, sweetie. Hi, Helga. I've got a sausage and egg sandwich for each of you to eat, and I packed you both a lunch. It's on the kitchen table."

Helga blinked in surprise as she noticed a pink lunchbox on the table. She opened it to find a lunch-meat sandwich, a pudding, a spoon, and a soda. She looked at Stella in shock. She _still_ wasn't used to having lunch packed for her every day. Out of all the places she stayed in, she didn't want to lose _this_ one.

Stella looked at Helga's shocked face and replied, "I want you to sit down, Helga. Both of you, take a moment to eat breakfast before you run out the door." She took notice of her pale and thin figure, that she seemed to be more malnourished than all the other kids she'd seen when she walked Arnold to school. Did she even _eat_ in the mornings?

Arnold sat down at the table next to his private "girlfriend", he looked up at his Mother, "Mom, I thought you and Dad went to work before seven. Why are you still here?"

Stella said, "We're going in the hospital for work _tonight_ instead. Your father and I have an interview with Helpers for Humanity at nine this morning. They heard about our whereabouts and they're interested in hiring us full time. If the talk goes well, we'll be able to help people in our neighborhood like the Green-Eyes helped us."

Arnold beamed, "That's amazing, Mom!"

Helga said, "Wow, that's great! Hope you guys get it."

Miles said, "It's in the Shortmans' blood. We'll get the position; I'm _confident_ about it."

Helga looked down at her empty plate. She was embarrassed for some reason. Maybe it was from lying about _everything_ to her 'boyfriend's' parents, maybe it was because his family was taking better care of her than her _own_ family did. Whatever the reason, she whispered, "Thanks for breakfast, and lunch."

Stella replied, "Oh, no problem, sweetie. Arnold's friend is a friend of ours," she called out to her husband. "Come on Miles, we have to get ready if we want to get there on time."

* * *

Arnold and Helga walked out the door. She just looked at him in shock, and whispered, "Your parents are some of the nicest people I've ever met." _I don't need to lose this family, I feel like I'm part of a_ _home_ _now..._

He smiled, "They _are_ wonderful people, and I have _you_ to thank for allowing me the chance to be with them again." _I don't know what I would do without my girlfriend. She's changed my life so much in only six months. I'm truly indebted to her..._

They both stopped at the corner where their two best friends stopped as well, on the other side.

As soon as Gerald saw him, he said, "Arnold, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Arnold looked at his girlfriend, who shrugged, before he walked over to Gerald to walk the rest of the way to school. Helga walked with Phoebe a bit of a distance behind them, chatting as well.

* * *

Gerald said, " _What_ did I walk into last night? I mean, I knew you guys made up, that much was _obvious_ , but the _last_ thing I expected was to see you guys getting freaky in an alleyway."

Arnold sighed, he didn't want to talk about it. Even _he_ didn't understand why he reacted the way he did. _If I'm going to act spontaneous, I need to find a better way to hide it from people, if not for my sake, for_ _hers_ _..._ But aloud, he changed the subject, "I don't know what happened last night, but we were bickering this morning."

Gerald just stared a moment, before saying, "Never mind, man, I'm _never_ going to understand you two, just be careful, Arnold. I don't want to see you on the news one day because you've been admitted into a mental asylum."

Arnold replied, "Don't worry, I've got everything under control."

Gerald said, "You're a _bold_ kid, Arnold. That's all I'm saying."

* * *

Phoebe was having her own talk with Helga. She said, "How did you get him to French you? I've been wanting to try that with my boyfriend for a while, but he's afraid to go too fast."

Helga was stunned, and stopped walking, "What? You've got to be _kidding_ me. I doubt _Gerald-o_ is afraid to go too fast."

Phoebe stopped walking as well, "I realize I should be happy he's taking our relationship seriously at such a young age, but sometimes I crave physical affection just like everyone else."

Helga thought, _Well, Football Head sure doesn't lack_ _there_ _..._ She put her hand on her best friend's shoulder, "Just _talk_ to him. He's probably going slow for _you_. He probably doesn't know you _want_ to move faster. I'm sure after a talk, he'll be _all over you_."

Phoebe laughed lightly, "Well, I don't know about all of _that_ , I just want a French kiss."

Helga shook her head, "Trust me, once the Frenching starts, all the other stuff comes in."

Phoebe blushed, "Oh, we're too young for all of _that_ , but I _do_ agree that I need to make my wants known to my boyfriend."

" _That's_ the spirit. Now let's start walking, we don't need to be late for the most annoying class of our lives."

They started walking again.

Phoebe asked, "English?"

Helga sighed, "No, _Sex Ed_ , Phoebs. Remember that dumb project we have to turn in today?"

Phoebe put her left hand to her mouth in shock, "Oh, dear. I forgot all about that! I heard there's supposed to be a few tests today, and that we'll have another teacher teaching us the subject. I sure hope the test isn't _too_ difficult. I forgot about studying over winter break." _Maybe I'm spending too much time with Gerald. This is unlike me to forget such an important matter..._

Helga shook her head, "You're _that_ worried over a Sex Ed test? You'll _ace_ it, just like every other test you've taken. It's probably going to be a review on what we learned from the fifth grade, anyway."

* * *

 **In class...**

After getting to P.S 118, the four of them made their way to their class. Simultaneously, they all stopped at the doorway in shock once they saw...

"He- _llo_ , class!" Mr. Simmons smiled at the sixth-grade students sitting in their seats, and then turned to look at the four who were walking in the door: they looked shocked. He had an office cart beside him, with papers on it for the class lesson that day, "Hello, Arnold, Helga, Phoebe, Gerald. Wonderful to see you four special students!"

Helga blinked, "Mr. _Simmons_? _You're_ our Sex Ed teacher? What the heck!"

Stinky scratched his head, "I'm reckon I'm as confused as you are. Don't you teach fifth grade, Mr. Simmons?"

Mr. Simmons smiled, "No, Stinky, I work at teaching Sex Ed part time and visit schools around the area. I moved on from teaching fourth and fifth grades."

As his three other classmates beside him walked in to sit down, Arnold asked, "So wait a minute, when you told Helga and me that you visit schools around the area, you meant that you teach _Sex Ed_ at different schools?"

"That's correct, Arnold. The different teaching environment along with the places around Hillwood I visit helps me out with erasing some very disturbing images. I guess you could say it gets my mind back on track."

Helga whispered in her boyfriend's ear as he sat beside her, on the left, "Or puts his mind _back_ in the gutter, technically."

Arnold blinked, and whispered to her, " _Helga!"_

Helga smiled innocently, "What?"

Rhonda said, "I can't _believe_ this is happening. Mr. _Simmons?_ Teaching our _Sex Ed_ class? This is _so_ humiliating!"

Harold said to her, "Oh, don't worry **,** Rhonda, I'm sure this class will be productive for the _both_ of us."

Eugene raised his hand.

Mr. Simmons smiled, "Yes, Eugene?"

"I was wondering if you were teaching on same-sex relations. I've heard a lot about it in the last few years."

Mr. Simmons smiled, "Fortunately, Eugene, that information is explained in the videos I'm sharing today. The board of education also has given me brochures to pass out at the end of the lesson, and there _is_ information inside about same-sex relations."

Eugene smiled, "Wow, that's great, Mr. Simmons."

As the rest of the students entered the classroom, Mr. Simmons shut the door and turned to his class to speak.

"Okay, class. Now, as some of you already know, Mr. Frank isn't here for today's lesson. I'm teaching your sexual education class for today. Now, if any of you have any special questions on this interesting subject, feel free to ask the partner's Mr. Frank has assigned to you for this assignment, work together to figure it out. The important thing is that you _learn_ about this while you're all going through these _special_ changes in your bodies. It will make it easier to understand, and don't worry, the process you're about to see in the two videos I'm sharing with you is _completely_ natural. Any questions?"

Sid raised his hand. Mr. Simmons said, "Yes, Sid?"

"Are we actually going to learn about the _girls_ this time? Last year they separated us, and we only got to see a video on the _boys."_ All the boys around the class started talking to each other about the subject, until...

Rhonda turned to Sid, "Oh, Sid. You do _not_ want to know what we go through. I'm even willing to bet that once you find out about our _monthly occurrence_ , half of you will be running to the bathroom to vomit your breakfast."

Mr. Simmons said, "Now class, please settle down. Does anybody in here know how sex works?"

Helga rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Oh, _I don't know_ , Mr. Simmons, why don't you _tell_ us?"

Harold laughed, "All you wimps still don't know how sex works, _A-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA_ _!_ "

Helga's eyes widened at Harold's words, "You're _kidding_ me. She lets you hit _that_ , what are you, Rhonda Lloyd, _eleven_? You must be the biggest _slut_ in the whole school!" _At least we know why you're dating_ _Harold_ _now..._

Rhonda turned to her, and said, "For your _information_ , Helga. My boyfriend and I have _not_ had sex yet."

Helga smirked, "I'll give it four months."

Arnold elbowed his girlfriend, " _Helga!_ "

Mr. Simmons said, "Helga, _be nice_. Now class, I am going to put in the video about the female body. A quiz will accompany it, so pay attention to the video because the quizzes will be based on them. Also, I just wanted to mention how _proud_ I am that some of you are already learning the meaning of being in a relationship. I've noticed three couples that are together this year: Rhonda and Harold, Phoebe and Gerald, Arnold and Helga. I congratulate _all_ of you on this next step." At the mention of Arnold and Helga, there were a few gasps in shock, but the rest of the class was laughing.

Helga narrowed her eyes. The cat was out of the bag, _again,_ "Simmons, would you just do your job and put on the stupid video for us to watch?"

Mr. Simmons nodded, "Oh, sure, Helga. Gerald, would you turn out the lights for me, please?"

Gerald stood up, "No problem, Mr. S."

The laughter died down as Mr. Simmons played the video. Eugene was yawning during most of it, Rhonda looked interested, and Harold looked bored beside her. Phoebe intensely wrote every couple seconds, Gerald was biting his non-existent nails and looking very sick, and Stinky and Sid looked disturbed and uncomfortable. Most of the boys in the class were uncomfortable when they started discussing " _periods_ " on the video. Arnold was _trying_ to pay attention, but for some reason, he couldn't get his mind off Helga, and she was using the time to catch up on writing poetry in her math notebook she carved a big hole in for that year. She already _knew_ everything they talked about, so why did _she_ need to pay attention?

As soon as the video was done, Mr. Simmons walked over to turn the lights back on. Most of the boys looked completely disgusted, except Harold for some reason. "Any questions?"

Gerald raised his hand, "Uh, _yeah_. Can I please go to the nurse's office? That was _way_ too much blood discussion in one video."

Mr. Simmons looked sympathetic, "Oh, sure, Gerald. Class, I forgot to mention, if _anyone_ is uncomfortable with this subject, you may go to the nurses or the bathroom as needed." Stinky and Sid ran out of the classroom looking like they were going to throw up, and as Harold raised his hand, Mr. Simmons said, "Yes, Harold?"

Harold smiled, "May _I_ go to the nurses _too_ , Mr. Simmons?"

Rhonda raised her hand, "And can _I_ go _too?_ I need to make sure my boyfriend has _no_ trouble getting to the nurse's office."

Mr. Simmons said, "Sure you both may go, and I'm sorry this video was a bit graphic for you, Harold."

As Harold and Rhonda walked out of the room holding hands, Helga commented, "What a _throw-pillow."_

Arnold said to her, "Helga, I don't think it's right to pick on some of our classmates because they have a weaker stomach than us."

"Wise up, _Arnold-o_. I'm _talking_ about Mr. Simmons, and no, Harold _doesn't_ have a weaker stomach than us. He already _knows_ about all of this, he _is_ fifteen, bucko. Didn't you see the smile on both of their face? They're probably going to the cafeteria to get an early _lunch_." _Or a closet to make out if princess Rhonda-Lloyd has_ _her_ _way…_

"Oh, come on, Helga, you've got to have faith in people. They wouldn't just outright _lie_ to Mr. Simmons."

Helga shook her head, "Arnold, Arnold, my poor naive, Arnold. Rhonda and he have already been doing stuff."

Arnold blinked in shock and replied, "I highly doubt they're having sex. I mean, didn't they _just_ start a relationship?"

She whispered to him, "Not _having_ sex, _doing_ stuff, there's a difference."

Mr. Simmons said, "Before I pass out the quizzes, I would like everyone to pass up the 5-page essay that's due today along with the old wives' tale. It will be put on your teacher's desk for him to grade tomorrow." After they got out their previous assignments and passed them up, Mr. Simmons put them on top of Mr. Frank's desk. He grabbed some worksheets off the cart he brought in the classroom with him, and started passing them around, "Now, if anyone has any questions, please talk privately about them with the partners Mr. Frank assigned to you. I will give you forty-five minutes to complete the quizzes before I collect them. Answers will be on the overhead after I collect the quizzes, so you can check yourselves, and remember, no matter what the results of this test are, you are all very... _special._ "

A couple students smiled as Mr. Simmons finished passing out the quizzes and the students looked down at their papers to start.

Helga finished the quiz and turned her paper over just as Gerald was walking back in the room. She smirked, "What's the matter, _Gerald-o_? Is period blood too much for your male brain to handle?"

Gerald said, "I don't know, _Pataki_. Is it too much to keep your hands to yourself in a back alleyway?"

Helga's eyes widened as she blushed, "Uh, forget I mentioned it."

Gerald winked at her, "Good girl," and walked back over to Phoebe, who was biting the back of her pencil nervously as he sat down beside her and started talking. He turned his paper over to start working.

Most of their classmates started talking to finish their quiz; the questions were much more difficult than the ones they were tested on in fifth grade.

Arnold looked down at his paper. He couldn't even get past question number _one_. He turned to Helga to ask her what the answer was when he noticed her paper was still turned around on her desk. She was writing feverishly in her... was that her _math book?_ He said, "Um, Helga?"

She jumped at his voice, dropped her math book on the ground, and then reached to pick it up, closing it just as quick, " _What_ , Football Head? Criminy, didn't you see I was busy with something?" _I swear, it's impossible to catch up on my poetry, living with_ _him_ _..._

Arnold stated, "You haven't started your quiz yet? I don't want you to get in trouble for not doing the questions. We only have 40 minutes left."

" _Please_ _,_ Arnold, the questions weren't _that_ difficult. They just word them to make them _sound_ difficult. I've already finished the quiz."

Arnold's eyes went wide, hearing that, "But Helga, each question requires a detailed response and you... you got that quiz done _in five minutes?_ How is that even _possible?_ Everyone else is still working on the quiz."

Helga sighed, "I blame Planned Parenthood."

He was even more shocked, "You've... been to Planned Parenthood? Helga, I'm afraid to ask, but have you...?"

"Relax, _Arnold-o,_ I didn't go to Planned Parenthood for _me_ , I went for _Olga_."

He blinked, "I thought you and your sister didn't get along." _And I still need to contact Olga and let her know that Helga is okay..._ He thought afterwards, _And Miriam, I forgot all about Helga's Mother...!_

"Of _course_ we don't get along, Arnold-o, and that's _exactly_ why Little Ms. Sunshine took me with her. She was pulling one of those tricks Bob pulled a few years ago; she thought we could _bond_ as sisters this summer by going together. What an _idiot_."

Arnold didn't feel comfortable hearing Helga call her older sister an idiot, but ignored it, and asked instead, curiously, "What happened at Planned Parenthood?"

Helga sighed, "The usual. Olga and I learned how to put condoms on bananas, went over the male and female reproductive systems, talked about birth control, and you know, the whole nine yards. Why do you think I told you I could write a _book_ on the subject? Did you think I was _lying?_ She was getting married to that douche-bag she was staying with that _hit_ the both of us. She went because she wanted to start a _family_ with him. For someone who's supposed to be _perfect_ , she sure makes bad relationship decisions."

Arnold nodded silently, remembering his talk with Olga _very_ well. He made a mental note to himself as soon as he could, to let Olga and Miriam know that Helga was okay.

Helga asked, wanting to change the subject to _anything_ but her messed up family, "So, what number are you on, Football Head?"

"Um," Arnold was embarrassed. He whispered, "Number one."

"Criminy, you haven't done _any_ of it yet? Did you _even_ pay attention to the video _?"_

 _Not… not really. I was kind of day-dreaming half of the video…_ he thought, but said aloud, "Only _parts_ of it. I really didn't want to listen to the parts about the menstrual cycle. Can you help me with the questions so that I don't fail? I think I know a few of the answers, but because half of this is new to me, I don't want to guess and be wrong, so I didn't fill them in."

Helga thought a moment, and said, "It's a shame that you can't talk to your _parents_ or _grandparents_ about any of this. I don't need to be thrown out because I know the kind of stuff you're starting to think about. Then again, when _I_ had to learn the material myself, my parents never had the talk with me, _either_."

Arnold said, "Why not?"

Helga simply said, "Do Miriam and Bob know _how_ to be parents? Anyway, the least I can do is help _you_ out, how _else_ are you going to learn about sex?"

Arnold shrugged, "I don't know, honestly."

Helga smirked. _And this could be kind of_ _fun_ _, picking on the little dweeb and watching him squirm. Yeah, let's do this..._ She said, "So, what's number one? _Refresh_ me, Hair-Boy."

Arnold looked down at his paper and winced. It was a question about _blood_. No _wonder_ he couldn't focus, "Um, how long does each period last?"

Helga raised an eyebrow, "What? You're twelve and you can't answer _that?" Scratch that. If he's_ _really_ _that dense, this could be the most annoying class of the year..._

Arnold said, "Well, I thought I knew the answer, but I didn't want to guess wrong. Is it two to seven days?"

Helga smiled in relief. _Okay, so he isn't as dense as I thought..._ "Correct Hair-Boy, periods can be as short as two days to as long as seven, depends on the person."

Arnold wrote that answer down on his paper, "Okay, that was simple. Question number two, how long does it happen? I'm guessing every two to seven days, because that's how long it occurred in the _last_ question."

Helga hit her head with her left hand, "Criminy, Arnold. Do you _really_ think us women bleed every two to seven days? That's _way_ too much blood to lose every month."

Arnold said, worried, "So then, how much blood _do_ you lose every month? Is it enough to send you to the hospital?"

" _Relax,_ the average amount of blood we lose is 30 to 40 milliliters a month. The answer is _once_ a month, and no, we _don't_ go to the hospital every month." Helga rolled her eyes.

Arnold nodded and wrote that down, "So, you only bleed _once_ a month, for _two to seven days?_ That makes sense." He paused a moment as he put down his pencil. He looked at her, curiously, "Why do you _have_ to bleed in the first place? I mean, what's happening inside of your body during it?"

She said, "The body sheds the lining of the uterus when the egg isn't fertilized. We bleed if you guys don't knock us up! If you knock us up, we're probably pregnant."

Arnold was confused, "But... _that_ would mean every woman's been pregnant before she's hit puberty."

"Before you hit puberty, you're not dropping eggs, now stop with the childish comments and let's get on with the rest of the quiz!"

Arnold looked down at his paper, "Oh, sorry, Helga. Number three, what do you call it when menstruation stops and never starts again?" he paused and looked up at her. "The end of a period?"

Helga rolled her eyes, "They're _talking_ about when menstruation stops _completely_ , not every _month_."

Arnold said, "You mean, you _don't_ bleed every month for the rest of your life once you hit puberty?"

"If we _did,_ Arnold-o, wouldn't there be a lot more seventy-year-olds pregnant in the world?"

Arnold was confused, "I didn't know seventy-year-olds could _have_ babies."

 _"Bingo!" Criminy, I feel like I'm talking to a little kid..._

Arnold wrote that answer down on his paper. He continued, "Number four, do all women achieve orgasms?"

The question made Helga blush. How was she supposed to explain _that_? "Um, well? Depends on the woman, heh-heh."

Arnold looked up at her, curiously. Why was she reacting like _that?_ Did that mean… "You've had orgasms before?"

Helga changed the subject, not wanting to discuss it, "Do you even _know_ what an orgasm is, Arnold-o?"

He paused as he thought about it, "I don't think I've ever _had_ an orgasm, not from what the video _says_ it is."

Helga was silent a moment, "You _seriously_ don't know how they feel? You mean you've _never..."_ she stopped as she remembered the conversation they had last night. _Oh right, he's never played with himself..._

Arnold said curiously, "How do they feel?"

Helga blinked, and turned red, "Why... _why_ would you ask me that? How the heck you think _I_ know?"

Arnold said, "You know _a lot_ about this kind of stuff, and you sound like you've _had_ one before. I'm curious how they feel."

Helga blushed and tried to change the subject, "Answer to number four is no, let's go on to the next question, shall we?"

Arnold narrowed his eyes, "Helga, I need you to explain _why_ the answer is no, so that I can write it down, and I can _tell_ that you're avoiding my other question."

"Well, why do you _think_ , Arnold-o? Some women have a disorder which makes orgasms _impossible_ to achieve, write that down, and did you really _think_ I wanted to tell you just _how_ many orgasms I've had at the mere _thought_ of you?"

Arnold dropped his pencil and blinked, and he looked at her curiously, "I'm sorry _, what?"_

"Criminy, Arnold," she whispered, "I've been in love with you since the age of _three_ , what did you _expect?_ I read about sex the first time in one of Miriam's trashy novels when I was eight. I wanted to know more, so I went to the library and I learned the basics. I learned I could experience it _without_ somebody, so I _started._ Believe it or not, Hair-Boy, I've hardly _ever_ had to touch myself. All I needed to do was think about _you_ , and my body would succumb to the throes of pleasure, my girlhood _trembling_ because of you."

Arnold began to feel odd, listening to the way she was speaking about the subject. His own body was starting to tremble. _Do I_ _really_ _make her girlhood tremble just by her_ _thinking_ _of me?_ He swallowed the lump in his throat, and said, " _Wow_ , I had no _clue_ it was so intense _._ So, how does it feel?"

Helga's eyes widened, "I already _told_ you how an orgasm feels, Arnold-o, what more do you need to know?!" _He's not getting anymore information about orgasm's out of me, not_ _no_ _way, not_ _no_ _how…_

Arnold chuckled, "Well, that's a _girl_ orgasm. How does it feel when a _guy_ has one?"

Helga raised an eyebrow, "Do I _look_ like a man to you? You'd have to _experience_ it to understand it. Frankly, Football Head, I'm surprised you _haven't_ yet, seeing just how _sexually frustrated_ you've been lately. You're, what, _twelve_? Hard to believe you've never had an orgasm."

Arnold began to worry, "So, it isn't normal for me not to have orgasms at my age? Should I start?"

She blushed darkly as a shiver went down her back. _He'_ _s asking_ _me_ _if he should start… whoa-boy, get it together, Helga ol' girl…_ "How the heck would _I_ know _that?_ Criminy, Arnold, I'm not getting into this. Next question already!"

Arnold sighed, choosing to dismiss the subject, despite being curious on the subject. He said, "Number five, label the openings in correct order: urethra, vagina, anus."

Helga glanced at him, "I'm afraid to ask what order you put them in."

Arnold said, "Um... Vagina, urethra, anus?"

Helga paused a moment before laughing hysterically, "Oh, that's _rich_ , Hair-Boy! You're a guy that doesn't know what _hole_ he's supposed to go in to have _sex_ , why am I not surprised?"

Arnold narrowed his eyes, a bit frustrated, "So, what order does it go in-?"

"-The urethra, Football Head. The urethra comes _first_. Can't have you trying to nail a girl by going up her bladder, right?"

Arnold looked curiously, "Are there people that actually do that?"

Helga shuddered at the thought, "Hope not, the thought is _sickening_. Besides, the penis wouldn't _fit_ up the bladder. It's too narrow and not flexible, unless you're on the small side." She paused a moment to think. "No, wait, you're not."

Arnold blushed and felt himself shaking slightly, "How... howwould you know that?"

Helga smacked her head with her left hand repeatedly. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ _!_ _Open mouth, insert foot._ _Just_ _what you need to explain to him, Helga, the half dozen times you've seen him_ _naked_ _..._ "Well, I uh, say, look at the time! Twenty minutes left, next question, Hair-Boy!"

" _Helga,"_ he narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, "I think I deserve the right to know _when_ you saw me naked. Was it _recently?_ We both agreed to get dressed _separately_ , so how is that _possible?!"_

Helga laughed nervously and rubbed her right arm, nervously, "Heh, heh. No... not exactly."

Arnold said, " _When?_ And how come _I_ never knew about this?"

Helga said, "For crying out loud, Gerald _told_ you about all the hidden cameras in your room, right? Sometimes I would... watch you undress before you fell asleep."

Arnold was beyond disturbed, " _Cameras_ in my _room?! Seriously?!"_

Helga covered his mouth with her right hand, "Pipe down, Arnold-o, just because everyone's talking doesn't mean they won't be able to hear your loud mouth screaming."

Arnold was starting to feel tense, just like he did the day before, but he wasn't sure if it was from being turned on, or from shock and fear from knowing she'd seen him naked before they were even _dating._ He tried to breathe normally, "Do you _still_ have the cameras up in my room?"

Helga whispered, "They ran out of tape ages ago, Bucko, so _relax_."

Arnold breathed a sigh of relief, although he was _still_ uncomfortable with the fact that his girlfriend had seen him naked.

Helga was uncomfortable, so she did the logical thing: tried to make _him_ uncomfortable, "At least _that_ time was purposely. Never thought all your clothes would drop in front of me before I could grab that stupid parrot."

Arnold paused from writing the answer to the previous question, he looked up at her, eyes widened, "Wait a minute **,** ' _parrot_ '?"

Helga smirked, "Good night, _little_ parrot. He certainly _was_ a little parrot from what _I_ saw."

Arnold was turning a deep shade of crimson, "You were _hiding_ in my _room?_ How did I _not_ see you?"

"I was hiding behind your red couch! Would you rather I just hid the cameras in there in fourth grade too?"

Arnold was shaking, "I don't know which one's worse. We weren't even _dating_ than, and you actually _watched_ me-"

"-Hey, I didn't ask you to take all your stupid clothes off, I was behind the couch, trying to steal that stupid bird. You could've gotten undressed in the bathroom, ever think of that?"

"But..." he shivered, "Why didn't you just _ask_ me for the bird back? Why did you have to sneak in my house to get it?"

"Because it was reciting my _poetry_ , you would've known I was in love with you before I was ready to tell you, sheesh."

Arnold began to sweat a bit, remembering some of what that bird said,

' _Arnold my love, my sultry preteen, why must I hold you only_ _whilst_ _I dream? Will I be forever enslaved by your spell? Why must I worship you, and never ever tell_ _?_ _Arnold, you make my girlhood tremble, my senses all go wacky. Someday I'll tell the world my love..._ '

His heart-rate quickened, his stomach felt tense. He _needed_ to think of something else, he was starting to feel weird and uncomfortable, knowing that he turned his girlfriend on every day.

Helga nodded at his expression, and knew he understood, "Exactly my point, now can we go on to the next question?"

Arnold said, not thinking, "Wait a minute, Helga. I'm not exactly comfortable that _you've_ seen _me_ naked before _I've_ seen _you_."

Helga chuckled, feeling _a lot_ less embarrassed after he admitted _that_ one to her, "Heh, thanks for the useful information, _Arnold-o_. Nice to know I'm not the _only_ one that wants to see some _skin."_

Arnold put his left hand over his mouth, blushing. _Did I really say that aloud…?_

Helga smirked, leaning over to him to whisper in his ear, "If you wanted to see some skin, all you had to do was ask." _Now_ _this_ _is starting to get kind of fun..._

Arnold put his hand on his head, now starting to get a headache, "I didn't mean to say that aloud, I was _thinking_ it." _Why am I saying what I'm thinking? That's almost as bad as_ _kissing_ _instead of_ _talking_ _._

Helga continued to smirk, "I _knew_ you had a dark side somewhere in that body of yours. "

He explained himself, "I wouldn't try to see you naked. Even though you've seen me and technically it's not fair, I don't think it would be right for me to do the same to you. I want to take this relationship _slow_ , which is why I told you I wanted to stop _kissing_ you. I want to give you every opportunity for the relationship you told me that you wanted to have."

"Appreciate the sentiments, Arnold, but sometimes it's _okay_ to let the dark side come out to play," she grinned. _This is going to be so_ _sweet_ _..._

Arnold was tensing up just thinking about it, "Helga, I'm not _like_ that, and I would _never_ want to get even with you for what you've done, even though I don't exactly _approve_ of hiding out in my room or putting in cameras to watch me undress. Wouldn't it have been easier to, I don't know, _talk_ to me about it?"

Helga said, "Yeah, I can _see_ how that conversation would have gone. ' _Yeah, Football Head, how you doing? We both know I hate you, but I was wondering if you could strip down to nothing, so that I could see you naked_.' Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Arnold felt a shiver go up his back, "You would've... _asked_ me to undress for you? Right in front of you?"

Helga said, "No, I _wouldn't_ have. You would've thought of me as a total _freak._ I mean, let's be honest, _you've_ never seen _me_ naked, right?"

Arnold closed his eyes for a second, trying to stop thinking of the images that were suddenly appearing before him, _I don't know_ _what_ _to think of my girlfriend right now..._ He opened his eyes and admitted, "No, not _naked_ , but I _did_ catch a glimpse of you. When we went to the beach, your shirt didn't hide much, especially when it was wet. In the Babe-watch production we had to do, and you had on that one-piece swimsuit, all your outlines kind of showed, especially up close."

Helga blushed, "You were... you were looking at my _body_?" She felt a shiver.

Arnold groaned, "Not… not exactly. I just _remembered_ you in your swimsuit when we were trying to get to the Green-Eyes this summer, and I had to save you from that flying arrow."

Helga looked at him oddly, "You were thinking about me in my _swimsuit_ when you grabbed me in _San Lorenzo?"_

"I accidently grabbed your _chest_ , and although I tried not to think about it, I _did_ notice you were a little bit more... _developed?"_

Helga blushed, "Oh, _I_ see where your mind was at this summer. So, you only grabbed me to _cop a feel_ , huh? I guess you thought it was entertaining to have Gerald as the third wheel, watching us."

Arnold stammered, "C-copping a feel? Of-of course not! I was trying to save you from that arrow. It was… it was the first time that I noticed your chest, so I had those thoughts."

Helga crossed her arms over her chest, uncomfortable, knowing that Arnold had got a feel of them without her permission, "Okay, can we _please_ talk about something else other than my chest?"

Arnold was beginning to feel a bit turned on himself, and looked down at the paper, thankful he was sitting underneath a desk, "O... Okay, next question. Why does menstruation happen?"

Helga said, "It's due to the rise and fall of hormones, and it happens when the egg isn't fertilized. Next!"

Arnold paused after writing out the answer, "Wait, I have another question. Do you have your period yet? When does _that_ usually start for girls?"

Helga said, "Anywhere between eight and fifteen. I got _mine_ at the end of fifth grade. I think that was another reason Olga just _had_ to take me to Planned Parenthood. Couldn't she understand just because I started doesn't mean I'm a woman yet? Guess I can't complain _too_ much, _she_ was the one to take me to get pads."

Arnold said, "You wear _pads_ during your period?"

Helga was starting to feel uneasy, "Yeah, Arnold, how _else_ am I supposed to keep the blood off me?"

Arnold asked, now more curious about it than disgusted, "Does it feel uncomfortable bleeding like that every month and wearing a pad?"

Helga was fidgeting a bit, thinking about it, "It's been seven months, I'm starting to get used to it. Next question!"

Arnold looked down at his paper, still trying to focus on the questions instead of the way they made him feel, "Um, number seven, what is the disorder for a woman who can't be aroused by normal means?"

Helga whispered, "I actually had to cheat and look in our health book for _this_ answer, Hair-Boy, Female Sexual Arousal Disorder."

Arnold bit his bottom lip as he wrote that term down. He was feeling uncomfortable talking about _arousal_ , so he went to the next question, "Number eight, how many ovaries do women have? Um, twenty-three?"

Helga said, "Good guess, Football Head, but you're confusing _chromosomes_ with _ovaries_. Ovaries are what produces our eggs, and we have _two_."

Arnold jotted down the answer, and asked, "Number nine, does a woman produce new eggs the way a man continues to produce new sperm? Yes?"

"No, we _can't_. We're born with _all_ our eggs and once we use them, they're gone."

"So, you mean," Arnold thought a moment, "a guy always produces sperm once he starts, but a woman can't get pregnant once she runs out of eggs?"

Helga nodded, "Correct, Football Head, technically you could knock some woman up when you're in your _seventies,_ given she's not going through menopause."

Arnold blinked, "What is menopause?"

"That's when us women stop producing eggs."

"Oh." He moved in his chair a bit, uncomfortable physically at this point. He was thankful he was finally on the last quiz question; too bad it didn't make him _feel_ any better reading it, "Uh, last question, can a woman get pregnant without being penetrated." He winced, feeling more tense reading the question aloud _._

Helga started to notice his tenseness, and smirked, "Technically, yes. You _can_ get me pregnant without going inside me." _He's going to_ _freak_ _..._

Arnold's eyes widened, "I can, _how?_ You're not... you're not _already_ pregnant, are you?" _I never thought I could get her pregnant just by_ _sleeping_ _with her..._

Helga smirked, battling her eyelashes, "No, I'd have to be playing with your _sperm_ and sticking it _inside_ of me for that to happen."

Arnold felt a chill go down his back at the thought, " _Why_ would you be playing with my sperm? Am I even _making_ sperm?"

Helga grinned, _I am_ _so_ _going to pick on him.._ _._ She smirked, "Don't know, Arnold. You'd have to _orgasm,_ and we'd have to see if you _come_ for us to figure that one out."

Arnold felt his stomach become even more tense, "What does _that_ mean? H… How would you make me do _that?"_

Helga whispered, " _Play_ with you, how else? If you orgasm and stuff comes out of your penis, then you're making sperm."

Arnold didn't know why, but the more they talked, the worse he felt. He knew the discussion was getting him turned on for some reason, but he never felt it to _this_ extent, even yesterday. He was starting to feel like he needed to do something about it.

Helga noticed his uncomfortable glance around the classroom and added, "Oh? You've never felt yourself become _really_ hard, and suddenly it kind of spasms and feels _really_ good?" _Poor boy, I'm_ _really_ _getting him hot and bothered, aren't I? I guess I figured out a new way to torture him_ _, heh_ _-heh._

Arnold didn't reply and turned his paper over, trying not to think about it, yet he couldn't help _but_ think about it, "Um, Helga, can we... can we _please_ talk about something else other than, well, _that?"_

Helga leaned in to him, " _Why_ , you want to talk about _mine?"_

The bell cut off Arnold's shocked gasp as the class made their way up to drop off their quizzes. Mr. Simmons smiled at his old class, saying to them, "Have a great lunch everyone!" as they ran out.

Helga and Arnold were the only two left in the classroom. She grabbed Arnold's paper, and took both of their quizzes to drop them off. She said, "Here you go, Simmons. All done."

Mr. Simmons replied, "Thank you, Helga. Arnold, are you okay? Why are you still sitting down, are you sick?"

Helga said to Mr. Simmons, "Give him a second, Simmons. He'll be _up_ in no time." She winked at her boyfriend and walked out to the cafeteria.

Mr. Simmons scratched his head a moment, before walking out to give Arnold some space and get his own lunch.

Arnold was trying to calm down enough before leaving, so that he wouldn't embarrass himself around his classmates. He thought. _Is she picking on me…?_

The taunts, insults, and spit wads were _a lot_ better than _this_ kind of torture...

* * *

Helga sat down with her pink lunchbox beside Phoebe and across from Gerald. She glanced around. Where was her _boyfriend?_ Did he come out of class _yet?_

Gerald commented, "I'll be _so_ thankful when this Sex Ed class is over. This has been _way_ too much talk about blood in one period."

Phoebe said, "Blood is a perfectly normal occurrence for a woman, Gerald. Every woman must eventually go through puberty in her life, and without a menstrual cycle, she can't get pregnant. Don't you want to have kids with me later in our lives, Gerald?"

Gerald looked even more disturbed, "Maybe when we're a bit _older_. Having sex isn't the problem, now having sex while your _bleeding, that's_ something I don't want to think about. I wouldn't know how to act if _I_ started bleeding down there."

Helga narrowed her eyes, "I'm trying to _eat_. Do you guys _think_ you could stop talking about blood for five minutes?"

Phoebe asked, in a whisper, "Sorry, Helga." She looked around. "By the way, where's your boyfriend?"

Helga looked at Phoebe a moment, and then glanced around herself. She _finally_ saw him, outside sitting on the green bench by the lunchroom. Why was he eating his lunch _outside_ , by _himself_? _Now_ _she_ was getting concerned. She turned to Gerald and Phoebe, and said, "I'll be right back."

Phoebe glanced at Gerald, and he shrugged, starting to eat his sandwich again...

* * *

Helga walked over to Arnold outside. He was absentmindedly staring at the playground monkey bars and the swings. She sat beside him on his left, "What's up, Goof-wad?"

"Nothing," he rubbed his arm nervously, "Just felt like eating outside today."

She said, "Where is your lunch, Arnold-o? You're not eating lunch right now, you're staring out at the playground equipment all by yourself for no reason."

Arnold closed his eyes, blushing, "Oh, I have a reason."

Helga thought for a moment, until she realized what might be wrong, "Come on, Arnold. You think _all_ boys haven't gone through the same thing _you're_ going through today? Sid, Stinky, Gerald, they were _all_ in the same class _you_ were."

Arnold was still blushing, and said, "You... don't know why I'm out here, do you?"

Helga thought a moment, and whispered, even though nobody was outside to hear them, "You're not eating so… you're _sick?_ "

Arnold covered his face with his hands, and Helga looked him over again and _then,_ realized it. _Criminy, I really_ _have_ _been torturing him. Maybe I ought to tone it down a bit. Wait a minute, he's never dealt with this, has he...?_ She put her right arm around his shoulders as he glanced in her eyes, embarrassed. " _Relax_ , you're not the first guy that's had _that_ happen to him, either."

He sure _felt_ like he was, and looked up to her and said, "I'm _not?_ "

Helga nodded, "Of _course_ not. I'm sure you're not even the only one in our class today."

"Really?" He was starting to feel a bit better.

Helga watched as some of their classmates walked out for recess, which was after lunch, before whispering to him, "So, why don't you go to the bathroom and _take care of it_?"

Arnold whispered back, "I don't want anyone to see me, and I don't know how I'll react the first time. What if somebody knows what I'm doing in there? What if I'm too loud? I've never," he paused, stopping from speaking. The combination of looking in Helga's eyes, and being turned on so badly was a bad combination. "Well, done it before."

Helga remembered _her_ first time and nodded in understanding. She could see how that could be embarrassing for him if he was caught. Still, this was partially _her_ fault, so she tried to make him feel better, especially since all the kids were starting to come out for recess and would _see_ them, "It's okay, Arnold. Just, I don't know, can you _ignore_ it? Don't worry about what the other kids think."

Arnold gently took her hand to look deeper into her eyes, "I don't know if I _can_ ignore it, is that normal?"

Helga was just starting to notice how close the two of them were getting, and the look in Arnold's eyes was telling her he was struggling not to do something, "It's... it's _probably_ normal, I mean, I've never been a _guy_ before," she shivered. _Come on, Arnold, just kiss me already! Who_ _cares_ _about anyone else, you're torturing me here!_

Arnold breathed deeply and stopped himself before he leaned closer to her, "I'm... I'm sorry, Helga. This is... it's getting difficult to stop myself."

Helga whispered back, "Stop yourself from _what_ , kissing me?"

Arnold whispered, "I know you don't want anyone to see us."

Helga said, in a daze, " _Relax_ , Simmons already told the class about our relationship, and like _you_ said, they probably already knew _before_ then anyway. If you want our relationship to be public, let's be _public_."

Arnold was worried she would regret what she was saying the next day, "Helga... are, are you _sure?_ I mean, I'm not forcing you into doing _anything_ you're not entirely comfortable with, am I? This could change _everything."_

Helga leaned closer to her love, almost touching his lips. She whispered, "I'm ready, Football Head."

Arnold met her mouth heatedly with his, trying to keep his kissing from going into Frenching, but it was _very_ difficult. He wanted to get closer to her.

* * *

Sid and Stinky looked up from playing four square. Sid said, "Boy Howdy, is that really Arnold and Helga _kissing_?"

Stinky said, "I reckon it really must be official, then, on account of their kissing out in the open."

Gerald and Phoebe walked over to Sid and Stinky. Gerald said, "Well, I guess Pataki came around after all."

Phoebe smiled, "I told you to just give her some time, and she would eventually open up."

Rhonda shook her head, "Arnold told me they broke up in _October._ They have the most turbulent relationship I've _ever_ seen."

Gerald thought about that a moment and said to Rhonda, "Well, this _is_ Helga G. Pataki we're talking about. Anything about the two of them dating is going to be _beyond_ normal. I mean, she picked on him for years _before_ they started dating."

Harold laughed, getting ready to taunt them, until Rhonda elbowed him in the stomach and he said, "Ow, _hey_ , what did you do _that_ for?!"

Rhonda said, " _Don't_ start picking on the poor girl, I think it's _sweet_. Everybody deserves the right to be loved, even _her_. And I really must say they _are_ one of the most adorable couples I've _ever_ seen."

* * *

Arnold was getting breathless and broke the kiss before it could go _any_ further. He turned to notice most of their classmates watching them and gulped. He had almost started _Frenching_ her, more than _once_ , in front of _everybody_. That was _not_ good. He whispered to her, heatedly, "Do you know any rooms that would be empty around this time?"

Helga blinked, and then smiled slightly. She had yet to notice everybody watching them; she was too lost in his eyes, his sweaty face, his heated expression, "Why? You want to go make out in the janitor's closet?"

 _That's actually a pretty good idea..._ Arnold stood up and grabbed one of her hands to lead them inside the building.

Helga was confused, "Wait up, are we _really_ going to a janitor's closet!?" _Criminy, I haven't seen this side of him,_ _ever_ _...!_

Arnold whispered to her, "Didn't you see the class watching us? I was afraid I would go too far, and I didn't want the class to make your life more difficult."

 _So,_ _that's_ _why he didn't French me when I was trying to get my tongue in his mouth, and he... he wants to French me_ _there_ _! Be still my beating heart!_

But instead of the janitor's closet, he took her into the pool control room, beside the YMAA gym, he opened the door to walk in with her, forgetting to shut it behind him. Out of _all_ the places to go, this wasn't one she even _thought_ of.

Arnold tried to calm his new-found hormones down as Helga asked him, "Isn't this beside the gym where the April Fool's Day dance was held in fifth grade? You know, the one where I pretended to be blind, and you threw me in the pool?" _Why would you drag me all the way back here?_ She raised an eyebrow.

He took a deep breath, trying to control the impulse to just _grab_ her and start _kissing_ her, "The pool is closed during the winter time, and I remember Mr. Frank telling us earlier in the year that Gym classes were postponed in January. This is just the pool control room."

She smirked as she replied, "Huh? Interesting. So, what are you planning on doing now? Jumping me in the pool control panel? Got to say, Football Head, I didn't know you had it in you. Not that I'm stopping you. You can kiss me _anywhere_ you want and touch me anywhere _and_ anytime you want. I'm all yours," she purred affectionately.

And it just about drove him _nuts._ He whispered harshly, grabbing her shoulders, "Helga, stop that!" he growled.

She blinked, " Stop _what?_ I mean it's obvious you're turned on _badly._ I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice, feel it in your," and _that's_ when he pushed her against the wall, the switch for the pool turning on behind her, and opening the pool in the center of the gym. Her eyes widened, yeah, she could _feel_ it all right; her heart was beating _fast_ beside his.

He groaned, "Why are you teasing me _?_ As my girlfriend, shouldn't you be making this _easier_ for me?"

Helga grinned, whispering to him heatedly, "Why? I thought you _liked_ it when I made it _harder."_

He gave up with a whisper, "Helga..." and kissed her passionately, reaching for her tongue.

She was losing her mind. _Whoa, this is_ _insane_ _! He's_ _making_ _out with me in the pool control panel, never in my wildest_ _dreams_ _did I_ _ever_ _think I would be in this situation! Oh, Arnold, my love, you feel_ _so_ _good, taste_ _so_ _good, you're everything I've ever wanted!_

Pretty soon, Frenching didn't feel like enough for him, and he ran his hand down her curve, until it got to her hip. After she shivered, he went in the opposite direction going from her hip to her chest line. He remembered what she said earlier, _if you wanted to see some skin, all you had to do was ask..._ He shivered, he remembered she _wanted_ to go further with him. Thinking about that, it didn't take long for him to want to see what she looked like underneath her dress. His fingers started itching to touch her; he was sweating.

Helga moaned in his mouth as she felt him touching her but remembered what he told her in class. _Even though you've seen me, I don't think it would be right for me to do the same to_ _you_ _. I want to take this relationship slow, which is why I told you I wanted to stop kissing you..._ She blinked in shock as he got closer to her chest. She thought to herself, _Criminy, he wouldn't even be_ _doing_ _any of this if he was in his right mind. He's going to regret it later if he goes_ _any_ _further, but how am_ _I_ _supposed to stop_ _him_ _?_ Trying to think with the rational side of her brain, she opened her eyes slightly while they were kissing to notice the door open, wasn't there a pool _just_ outside, and didn't he back her into the switch for it? She closed her eyes again as she smirked against his mouth, breaking the kiss. _Perfect._ She pushed herself off the wall to grab his shoulders and push him back slightly, but he was persistent, and reached out to grab her chest on top of their clothes. She gasped for a second, trying to remember _what_ she was doing and _why_ she was doing it: for _him._ She met his lips to French him again, hoping _that_ would distract him.

Arnold moaned in her mouth, too distracted to realize he was being backed up outside the door, towards the pool water.

Helga let go of his lips, looked in his heated eyes, and whispered, "Karma," and pushed him back into the pool. Helga laughed hysterically as soon as he went underneath the water, some hitting her in the process. Not a lot, just enough to get her damp. _Heh, this whole making out thing is starting to be kind of fun!_

Arnold came up to the surface. He coughed as he tried to get some of the water out of his lungs.

Helga simply said, "Karma sucks, Arnold. Too bad you had to throw me in the pool at the April Fool's Day Dance."

As soon as he got control of his coughing, he swam over to the side, and leaned against the gym floor to look at her, "That was almost a year ago, you're getting even with me over _that?"_

Helga said, softly, "That's just an excuse if anyone hears us. I _had_ to calm you down _somehow_ , you were losing control of yourself, you were practically grabbing my _breasts!_ "

Arnold blushed as he remembered what she was talking about, "I... oh boy, I'm sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to take it _that_ far."

Helga crossed her arms, "I wouldn't have minded Hair-Boy, but I remembered what you told me in class, you didn't _want_ to go that far."

Arnold nodded, still in the water, "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. I just... lost control for a second."

Helga admitted, "Don't worry, it happens. You're not the only one that's _wet_ right now."

Arnold sighed, realizing that the splash probably got _her_ wet as well, "I guess... I guess we're _both_ going to need towels to dry off, huh?"

Helga nodded, "Are you still turned on? You know I didn't throw you in the water to _get you off_ ,right?"

Arnold blinked for a moment, and that's when he noticed the tension was gone, _all of it_! But how did _she_ know cold water would...?

Helga nodded and whispered to him, "Don't say I didn't do you any favors, _Arnold-o_." She went over to grab a couple of towels and handed one to him as he stepped out of the water.

He took it and weakly said, "Thanks for stopping me from going too far, but what am I going to do about my _clothes_? I _can't_ wear this to class now, it's too wet."

She wiped her shoulders gently as she thought for a moment about it, "You've got a gym uniform in the boy's locker room, right?"

Arnold blinked, and then nodded, remembering.

Helga said, "Go in and change. Bring me your wet clothes when you're done. I'll sneak them into the dryer in the home economics class. It should be empty with everyone at recess right now. We can pick up your clothes at the end of the day."

Arnold nodded as he made his way to the boy's locker room, changed, and brought his clothes back to her. After Helga rung them out in the pool, she snuck across the hallway to throw them in the dryer. She walked back in the gym, and mentioned to her boyfriend, "Hey, Football Head, turn off that pool switch so that nobody knows we were in here, would you?"

Arnold walked into the pool control panel and noticed it. He turned it off, and the pool began to close.

Helga walked over to him and tried not to laugh when she got a good look at him. He had on blue shorts and a blue short-sleeve shirt at the beginning of _January_.

Arnold said, looking down at himself, "How am I going to explain _this_ to our class? You know they're going to wonder what happened."

Helga paused a moment and then smiled. She leaned over to him to whisper in his ear, "Cafeteria Mishap."

Arnold thought a second before saying, "You know, that just _might_ work."

Helga laughed, "If they don't buy _that,_ just tell them we got in a food fight. They know how much I fight with you, they'll believe it."

Arnold laughed, beginning to feel _a lot_ calmer and smiled with his half-lidded gaze at his girlfriend, "Helga, thank you."

Helga shrugged, "You would've done the same for _me_ , right?" And _that's_ when the bell rang to get to class. She whispered to him, "Here's what we'll do, I'll walk out _first._ Wait a couple seconds, and _then_ follow me."

He said, "Why can't we just walk out at the same time?"

"Because, _genius_ , everyone's walking in from recess, and they _might_ figure out what you were doing to me in here. Did you _really_ want them to know that you were trying to grope my -?"

"-Okay, okay, I get it," He breathed, "I'll see you in class."

Helga couldn't resist and kissed him softly on the lips before heading to the door. She smirked before she walked out, narrowing her eyes at him with a smirk, "Enjoyed being reacquainted with _Dark Arnold_ , _really_ ought to do this again someday," and with that, she winked, walking out of the gym.

Arnold shook his head. She was _insane_ , but a _good_ type of insane. He waited a minute before taking the same exit to go back to class.

* * *

Mr. Simmons was just about to turn the overhead off and put on the next video as Arnold walked in, wearing his blue gym shorts and short sleeve shirt.

Gerald raised an eyebrow, and a couple people in the class gasped at him and laughed, mostly _shocked_ that he was wearing such a thing in _January._

Helga saw his embarrassment as he walked beside her to sit down, and said, " _That_ should teach you, Hair-Boy. Next time you _dare_ to even _think_ about dragging me to that cafeteria to start a food fight in the middle of _recess_ , you're going to have food in your hair _and_ shoes, not just all over your clothes. You _really_ think you can beat me at my own game? Fat chance, _Bucko_."

He sat next to her and said, aloud, "I'm sorry, Helga. I should have thought before I started something like that."

The laughter started to die down as the class realized _what_ happened, and Gerald just turned around to look at Phoebe and shake his head, "She would _open up_ , huh? Sounds like she's back to _torturing_ him again."

Rhonda whispered to Nadine, "Well, so much for thinking that things were getting stable between them."

Arnold whispered to her, "Thanks, Helga. I owe you."

Helga whispered back, "Better than pitching a tent."

Mr. Simmons said, "Okay, class, look up here. Finish checking your answers from the quiz; that way I can turn the overhead off. We have one more video we need to get through, along with a demonstration, and one more quiz. Eugene, could you turn off the lights this time, please?"

"Sure, Mr. Simmons," he stood up and started to walk over, until Harold held out his foot and he fell over, "Ow, I'm okay." Harold laughed.

Mr. Simmons said, "Harold, that wasn't very nice, and thank you Eugene for getting the lights. This video is about the boy's changes, and as I've said previously, if anyone needs to go to the nurses or to the bathrooms, feel free to walk out." He put the video in as everyone watched with interest.

Phoebe curiously watched, Gerald was a bit tense, but more relaxed than earlier, Helga was writing in her math book again, about what happened between her and Arnold in the pool control room. Nadine was smiling, taking notes. Sid and Stinky looked bored, and Rhonda and Harold were watching with interest. After twenty minutes of watching the video, it reached the end.

Mr. Simmons turned off the video. He smiled at his class, putting his hands together excitedly, "This is my _favorite_ part of Sex Ed."

Gerald asked, "Is it the part where we get to _leave?"_

Mr. Simmons said, "Uh, well, no, it's-"

Harold asked, "Is it the part where we break for an extra lunch?"

Mr. Simmons sighed, "No, Harold, it isn't."

Phoebe smiled, "Is it the part where we discuss in detail all the wonderful new material we've learned today?"

Gerald raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend, "Phoebe, don't take this the wrong way, but you're _weird_."

Mr. Simmons said, "No, class, this is where you will all receive a bag of donated items from Planned Parenthood, to help you understand how to practice safe sex. You will all get a small packet with condoms, lubricant, _and_ a brochure inside. I will also be passing out bananas." He started passing out the packets.

Harold was excited, "All-right, food!"

Mr. Simmons cleared his throat and stopped walking for a second to glance at Harold, "Um, no, Harold. The bananas aren't being passed out to eat, they are a tool so that everyone knows how to put on a condom."

Harold whined, "Aww, geez..."

Nadine asked, "Do they have female condoms in the packets?"

Mr. Simmons smiled as he handed her a packet, "Good question. Yes, Nadine, those are in your packets as well. Now, before we start our quiz, I would like to see that you learned how to use a condom."

Rhonda was freaked out as she realized what they were going to do, "We're actually going to put _condoms_ on our _bananas?"_

Mr. Simmons smiled as he passed out the eight bananas he had, giving each group one banana, "You are correct, Rhonda. So, everyone, enjoy, take turns, don't forget to give the condom some space between the top of the banana! If you mess up, don't worry, I put extra condoms in everyone's packet."

Arnold looked at Helga and bit his lip, he said, " _So_ , since you've been to Planned Parenthood, do you think that you could put the condom on for me?"

Helga rolled her eyes, "Are you _always_ going to ask me to put on the condom for you?"

Arnold stammered, pulling at his shirt, "I...I, uh, that's _not_ what I meant."

"Save it. Since I _obviously_ know how to put on a condom and _you_ don't, I think you ought to try it for a change, Hair-Boy. At least when we finally _do_ have sex, you'll know how to use one."

He gulped, shaking with nerves. _When we… when we_ _do_ _have sex? Why does she have to say stuff like that…?_ He picked up the small foil square package, and he ripped it open to see the condom. It was clear, a bit lubricated, and looked to be latex. He pulled it out, stretched it out, and inspected it in curiosity. It was the first time he'd ever seen a condom in his life. " _So,_ I wear this during sex?"

Helga rolled her eyes, "No, Hair-Boy, you _eat_ it, criminy, what a stupid question. Where _else_ did you expect the sperm to go?" she replied matter-of-factly, "Just put the condom on the banana."

Arnold opened the condom up to where he could see the inside of it. He was already beginning to feel tense _again_ , doing something so intimate with his girlfriend.

Helga held up the banana with both of her hands, waiting for him to put the condom on it, "What's the deal, why did you stop? You looked like you understood what you were doing."

Arnold pursed his lips, "Don't we need to use the lubricant first?"

Helga growled in annoyance, "Football Head, are you sticking this banana inside of me tonight?"

Arnold gulped, feeling himself tense up at the _thought,_ "Um, no. I don't think so."

Helga narrowed her eyes, "Than you _don't_ need to use the lubricant, now put the condom on and shut-up."

Arnold sighed, "Whatever you say, Helga." _I hope she isn't like this during sex..._

* * *

Harold raised his hand. Mr. Simmons said, "Yes, Harold?"

Harold questioned, "Do we _always_ have to use a condom whenever we have sex? What if we're in the mood and there's none available?"

Rhonda buried her head in her arms in embarrassment, "Uh, _seriously?"_

Mr. Simmons said, "If you're _not_ using a condom then your partner will _have_ to use birth control. If you both decide against protection, she could get pregnant."

Eugene raised his hand. Mr. Simmons asked, "Yes, Eugene?"

"I'm curious, does the penis _have_ to go in the vagina? Like, isn't there different ways that you can have intercourse with somebody?"

Mr. Simmons smiled, "I'm glad you asked that, Eugene. That information is in your packets that I handed out."

Phoebe raised her hand. Mr. Simmons said, "Yes, Phoebe?"

"What if the banana is too big to fit the condom? Do I need to use a different banana?"

Helga smacked her head, and said, "Criminy, Phoebe, do you realize how you sound right now?" Arnold narrowed his eyes at Helga, she was yelling at her best friend, _again_. They were waiting for Mr. Simmons to give additional instructions.

Mr. Simmons said, "No, Phoebe, and Helga, _that_ is not a dumb question. If the banana is too big for the condom, you will _have_ to get a larger condom for the banana."

Harold laughed, looking at Rhonda, "Did you hear that, Rhonda? I might need a larger condom for my banana."

Rhonda was embarrassed, " _Uh….!"_

Mr. Simmons smiled excitedly as he walked over to Arnold and Helga, "Wow, I am so proud of you two!" he reached down to grab their banana with the condom on it. "Now class, look up here, _this_ is how the condom goes on the banana, nice and snugly, with a little bit of space at the tip. Good job, you two!" Arnold and Helga looked at each other and blushed.

Harold laughed, "Guess we all know what _they've_ been doing in the same bedroom together." Sid, Stinky, and Harold all snickered.

Helga scowled, "Shut-up, _Pink-boy_ , you want another black eye? Well, just keep talking and I'll _give_ you one."

Harold stopped laughing in fear. Stinky and Sid only giggled nervously after hearing _that._

Mr. Simmons said, "Okay, class. Put both of your names on the bananas and pass them up. When I receive all your bananas, I will pass out the quizzes. Please, work together on the quiz. In forty-five minutes after I collect the quizzes, I will put the answers on the overhead."

The class passed up their bananas, and Mr. Simmons grabbed the bananas to put them on Mr. Frank's desk. He grabbed another paper from his cart and began to pass everyone a sheet to work on.

A couple students started on their papers right away, others stared; this quiz was _just_ as difficult as the first one.

Mr. Simmons finished passing out the papers. He put the rest of the pages that were extra on his cart with a smile. He sat at Mr. Frank's desk and picked up a book to read for forty minutes.

Arnold glanced at Helga as she turned her paper around. He blinked, "You're done again, _already?"_

Helga said, "And let me guess, you're stuck on number _one?"_

Arnold blushed, "Well, not exactly, but I want to make sure my answers are right."

Helga chuckled, "You already know I'm the sex expert, don't you?"

Arnold admitted, "I've never seen anyone go through a quiz so _fast_."

Helga said, "So then, what's question number one?"

Arnold read, "The penis has only one opening, but two tubes leading to it. Where do they come from?"

Helga admitted, "You _do_ realize some of these questions _I_ don't know the answers to, right?"

Arnold was surprised, "Really?"

She whispered, "Yeah, I had to sneak and look up _that_ one. Now what's your guess?"

Arnold said, "The testicles and the bladder?"

"Right you are, Football Head, at least you know your _own_ body. What's the next question?"

"Sure, but first, is it normal for the testicles to grow as you get older?" he asked, worried.

Helga stared at him a moment. _Is he seriously asking me_ _that_ _... but then again, who the heck_ _else_ _is he going to ask?_ She grabbed her health notebook and turned the pages to try to find it.

Arnold was confused, "What are you doing?"

"Don't know the answer to _that_ one, I'll have to find it for you."

"Can I help you find it?" Arnold glanced in the book with her, pointing at the page once he saw the answer, "Oh, it's normal," he read it aloud, a bit surprised at what he was reading, "During puberty, you start producing the male hormone, _testosterone_ , it triggers physical changes…?" he glanced at her, curiously.

Helga nodded, "Testosterone, _that's_ the sex hormone in males during puberty."

"So, then, if I'm experiencing more physical changes, it's because I have a lot of testosterone in me?" he asked her.

Helga thought a moment. _That_ _would explain why he keeps getting more physical with me. Criminy, Arnold, you're further along than the rest of the class!_ She shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it, "Apparently, you have high levels of testosterone inside of you, imagine that, heh-heh?" Now, _she_ was starting to feel nervous around him, high levels of _testosterone?_ No _wonder_ he was so argumentative with her, and _such_ a great kisser! She blushed.

Arnold glanced at Helga a moment before writing in the answer to the last question, "Um, what is the name of the tube within the penis itself. Is it the urethra?"

"Right again, hmm, maybe throwing you in that water was a good idea. Cleaned more than just your _body_ ," she flirted.

Arnold blushed, " _Helga..."_

"Anyway, next question?" Helga touched her face nervously, starting to feel _excited_ for some reason.

Arnold asked, "What is the name of the tip of the penis?"

Helga said, "Had to look it up, it's 'glans'."

Arnold looked at Helga a moment, like he wanted to ask her something else about that, but he changed his mind and wrote her answer down. He said, "Okay, number four, can a man have multiple orgasms like a woman can?" He blinked, "You guys can have multiple orgasms at once?"

Helga laughed nervously, "Well, _yeah_ ,Arnold. I mean, I thought that was _normal_."

Arnold asked, "So men do too, right?"

Helga said, "In the health book, it's says it's impossible."

Arnold said, "Impossible?"

Helga said, "That's what I read a couple minutes ago. You guys have a longer refractory period, usually it lasts awhile before you can actually orgasm again."

He asked curiously, "Refractory period, what's _that?"_

She said, "It takes you longer to recover from an orgasm, where women can just go all night, you guys can't."

Arnold paused a moment, "I may not know anything about orgasms and how they work, but that doesn't seem very fair."

"Try telling Mother Nature that, Football Head. Next!"

He looked down at his paper, to read, "Number five," he winced at the weird question, "Why can't a man... _urinate_ inside a woman? Why would a man _want_ to urinate inside a woman?"

Helga shrugged, "How would _I_ know? _I_ didn't write the quiz."

Arnold didn't enjoy thinking about it, "I hope the answer is _no_."

Helga nodded, "It _says_ no, but honestly, some weird people are into that stuff."

Arnold groaned, "Okay, can we go to the next question, _please?"_

Helga said, "No, Football Head, you need to describe _why_ you can't urinate inside of a woman."

"Because it's disgusting," he concluded, at least he wasn't turned on anymore.

Helga said, "Well, _yeah_ it _is_ , but it's because it messes with the PH of the vagina, and you _can't_ do it while your erect because men _can't_ pee when they're turned on. Next!"

Arnold looked down at his paper, and asked, "What causes the penis to become erect: water, blood, or a bone?" He was beginning to feel turned on again just _thinking_ about it.

Helga waited, impatiently, "Well? What's your answer?"

Arnold blushed, looking into her eyes, "A bone?"

Helga smacked her head, " _Blood_ causes it to grow bigger Arnold, _blood_. Weren't you paying _any_ attention to the video?"

Arnold shivered, his stomach tightening up for some reason. He wasn't sure if it was from talking about _it_ getting bigger, or the fact that _blood_ caused it to get _bigger._ Either way, he needed to get his mind on something other than what they were talking about. He looked down at his paper and wrote the answer, then asked her, "What is the name of the hormone that makes men, men? Testosterone?" He thought to himself. _I must have_ _a lot_ _of testosterone in my body if I feel_ _this_ _on edge all the time. This class is doing nothing but making me uncomfortable._

"Yup. Next!"

Arnold wrote that down, feeling himself shake. He would be _so_ thankful when the quiz was over, "Number eight, does the length of the penis affect intercourse in any meaningful way?"

"No, it doesn't, and _you_ wouldn't have to worry about that if it did," she flirted, battling her eyes at him.

He took a deep breath, feeling _very_ uneasy. He gulped, reading the next question, "What do you call it when a man forces himself on a woman who does not want to have intercourse?" He looked up at her, "Rape?"

Helga nodded, "Yup. Next one?"

Arnold nodded, "Last one," Helga wasn't sure whether he was trying to reassure himself _or_ her that it was almost over. He took a deep breath, and asked, "Why can a man get a woman pregnant even without penetrating her?" He sucked in a breath, "Didn't they... didn't they have that question on the _last_ quiz?"

Helga said, "They want us to practice safe sex, Arnold. Why _else_ would you think they have that question on there twice?"

Arnold grabbed the packet in between them, looking inside curiously, "Is _that_ why they gave us so many condoms?"

Helga blinked, grabbing it from him, "Let me see that thing. Criminy, they even have _woman_ condoms in here? Not happening Hair-Boy! _You_ will wear one of these ten condoms, _I_ won't!"

Arnold asked, exasperated, "But, why do we _need_ these? It's not like we're going to start having sex as soon as we get back to the boarding house!"

Helga shivered at the thought, but said to him, "Yeah, but Planned Parenthood doesn't know _that._ They'd rather be safe than sorry. Us preteens don't need to get pregnant after all, it will cost _them_ money. By the way, Football Head, hears something Planned Parenthood _won't_ tell you. Condoms are 98% effective, but that's only with _perfect_ use. It's about 85% with _typical_ use, which means 15 out of 100 people using condoms for protection against pregnancy will get pregnant each year. Read it in a textbook once. Thought you might be curious."

"Interesting. Then why only use condoms?"

Helga shrugged, "Some people don't _think_ in the spur of the moment."

Arnold rubbed his arm nervously, "I _guess_ I could understand that." _I sure wasn't thinking when I pulled you into the pool control panel…_

Helga asked, "Did you even write down that _last_ answer? We've got five minutes of class left!"

Arnold said, "I didn't want to think about it. _That's_ why I changed the subject."

Helga smirked. _He doesn't want to think about it, huh? Well, we'll see about_ _that_ _..._ "What _don't_ you want to think about, Arnold? The fact that one drop of semen near me can get me pregnant?"

Arnold swallowed, "So, the answer is _yes_?"

"It already _says_ yes in the question." She flirted, "The answer is that your _hard rod_ doesn't have to be inside of me to knock me up, as long as your sperm can get to one of my eggs when you release it, it's already done."

Arnold groaned as he wrote the answer down. He told himself, _It's almost over, it's almost over…_

Mr. Simmons said, "Okay, class. Pass up the quizzes and as soon as I get them, I'll show the answers on the overhead." The class passed up the quizzes and once Mr. Simmons received them, he turned on the overhead for them to look the answers over.

A few minutes later, the bell rang for the end of school. Mr. Simmons waved at his old class with a smile, "Have a good afternoon, everyone, and a great **,** productive, and _special_ life!"

Arnold and Helga stuffed everything in their backpacks and got ready to walk out.

Mr. Simmons said to them, "You guys have a wonderful life, and stay safe!"

Arnold walked out as he commented to Helga, "You know, I'm really going to miss Mr. Simmons."

Helga just shrugged in response, ready to go home and relax from the day's events...

* * *

 **10:30 PM that night...**

Helga and Arnold had eaten dinner. They changed separately, despite previously saying they wanted to see each other naked, and were currently sitting on his bed, the lights were still on.

Helga asked, "Ready for bed?"

Arnold nodded, putting his backpack on the floor, "I'm ready to sleep after today, but I _did_ have one more question to ask you first, if that's okay."

Helga sighed, "What is it _now_ , Arnold-o? Didn't you get all your questions answered in class?"

He said, "Well, yes, you answered all my questions, but there was still one you avoided explaining to me, and it's something I've been curious about."

Helga said, "Well, ask me, Football Head. Better _I_ hear your hormone driven questions than your _parents." Man, if his parents knew all the questions he asked me today, I wouldn't have a place to stay!_ she shivered in nervousness at the thought.

Arnold thought a moment, before saying, "You explained to me you've had orgasms before, right?"

Helga said, "Yeah, I have, _and?"_

"And... well, I still never got a clear answer from you on how it feels for a guy."

Helga repeated the words she said earlier, "That's because I've never _been_ a guy, Arnold. If you want to understand it, you have to _experience_ it."

Arnold didn't say anything for a moment before replying, "I guess that's the _only_ way I'm going to understand it." He was a bit sad and looked away a moment, in deep thought.

Helga paused a moment, waiting to see if he _did_ anything, before she smacked her head with her left hand, "Oh, criminy, must I show you _everything?"_ She walked over to the door and locked it.

Arnold was speechless for a couple seconds, "Are we going to bed now?" She _always_ locked the door before they fell asleep, but this time, she didn't turn the lights off.

Helga said, "No, Bucko, we _aren't._ I'm going to answer your question."

Arnold's eyes grew wide, "You're going to... orgasm in front of me?" Just the thought had him shaking with nerves.

She walked over to him, pushing him back against the bed, and getting on top of his hips, "No, you _moron_ , I'm going to show you how it feels for _you_ to have one."

Arnold felt tense, but _not_ from being turned on. He was nervous, scared, worried, and he was concerned about being caught by his _parents_ , "Helga... I, I don't think this is _such_ a good idea. What if we start and we can't stop?"

Helga said, "You want to know how it feels to orgasm, right? Let me _show_ you."

Arnold looked into her eyes in fear. He whispered, honestly, "I'm scared."

Helga backed up a bit, sitting on his waist, "Scared?" she raised an eyebrow, "Of _what?"_

He noticed her dress riding up as she was sitting on his hips, and he could see the top of her legs. He took a shaky breath. _Concentrate, concentrate…_ He tried to think with reasoning, "I'm… worried it's going to hurt, or I'm going to be too loud. I'm worried we're going to get caught, or you're going to get thrown out. I've never _done_ anything like this before." It was the strangest feeling for him, wanting to do something so _badly,_ but holding himself back from doing it.

She said, "Don't you want to _learn_ how to get rid of that intense feeling that's been _bothering_ you lately?"

"Sure, of course, but I just," he breathed deeply. What was he _doing_ and what was he _saying?_ He couldn't do _this,_ could he?

Helga noticed the pained look in his expression, his eyes closed. She took his hands to entangle them in hers and met his eyes when he looked into hers, "Look, how about this? Let's start off simple."

"Simple?" He breathed, nervously.

Helga nodded, "Let's just _kiss_ right now, no funny stuff. We'll see what happens. Sound good?"

Arnold breathed a sigh in relief. That was one thing he knew they could do without getting in trouble: kiss. She met his lips gently. It was... so soft, so pure. This kiss was _so_ much gentler than all their previous kisses. It was slow, passionate, and full of nothing but love from her. She was taking it slow, for _him._

Helga slowly deepened the kiss, trying to take it slow for Arnold's sake, since he seemed so nervous. She met his tongue with hers, slowly moving it clockwise against his, swapping saliva, and breathing softly.

Arnold began to relax into the kiss, meeting her tongue with every turn inside his mouth. He put his arms around her as she Frenched him deeper. He groaned in her throat, his nervousness was starting to go away.

Helga took the next step, running her curious hands down his side until it reached his hips. Her tongue moved out of his mouth from Frenching him, to try something different. She moved her lips closer to his again, to bite down on his lower lip gently, and then suck on it.

He groaned, not expecting it _at all_. It was a _weird_ feeling. Even though her biting him probably drew blood and hurt his lower lip, his whole body _shook_. He took the back of her neck to pull her mouth closer, to start Frenching her again.

Helga dueled tongues with him for a few moments before backing out of his mouth for a second time. She wanted to try something _else_ to get him less nervous and lowered her head down under his chin to run soft and quick kisses on his neck.

Arnold felt tension building up at her simple actions, and closed his eyes, trying not to make any sounds that might alert his parents to what was going on in his room.

Helga kissed a few more times, before opening her mouth, and biting lightly on the skin of his neck.

He moaned loudly, he didn't know if it was from the pain or not. If it was _supposed_ to feel painful, it certainly didn't _feel_ painful. He reached for her face to bring it up to his. He looked into her pupils with his big pupils, and whispered to her, "What are you doing to me _?_ You're driving me _insane_."

She knew _exactly_ what she was doing. She whispered hoarsely, " _That's_ the point." And she met his lips again, moaning in his mouth. She was losing _her_ control as well.

Arnold was ready for her to keep good on her promise, show him what an orgasm _felt_ like, when a knock on the door stopped his thoughts.

Helga broke the kiss and put a finger over his mouth. She whispered, very low, " _Don't... say_... a word."

Arnold nodded, looking at her.

Stella replied from the other side, "Arnold, Helga, why do you both have the door locked? I was just checking on you both. I noticed your lights still on, and it's almost eleven, you guys have school tomorrow."

Helga knew Arnold wasn't good at lying, and he looked too affected by her kisses to say anything useful, so she replied to Stella, "Sorry, Mrs. Shortman. We both fell asleep and forgot to turn the lights out."

Stella said, "Okay, Helga. Just turn the lights out for me and unlock the door, sweetie. Is Arnold asleep?"

Helga gave him a stern look before replying, "He's asleep."

Stella said, "Let him know in the morning that we went to work if we're not here. We got the job with Helpers for Humanity, but it's night shift right now. We might not be back until eight."

Helga calmly replied, "I'll let him know, good night."

"Good night, Helga. I love you." And with that, she left.

Helga blinked, completely shocked at the last three words she heard Stella say. _She_ _loves_ _me! She_ _loves_ _me! I disrupt her life, eat her food, sleep next to her son, show_ _no_ _respect for anyone around here, and she_ _loves_ _me. I lie, argue, yell and scream about minor stuff all the time, and she_ _loves_ _me? And... and I'm doing_ _this_ _in her house with_ _Arnold_ _? I can't_ _do_ _this anymore! I_ _can't_ _be the person that I've been being but… how do I_ _change_ _?_ She truly wanted to change, but she was at a loss how she could. She had tried for years with no success. She was disturbed with herself and upset that she was risking losing the one thing she had all because of her attitude, and because of the physical relationship she was developing with Arnold. _No more, Helga. That's it! You're_ _not_ _going to treat people like this anymore…_

But, _how…?_

She got off Arnold, walked over to turn out the lights, unlocked the door, and then laid next to him on her back, not touching him. She was trying to think back on all the cognitive behavior therapy papers she received from Dr. Bliss, but deep down, she knew they wouldn't work. She had tried it already…

The only thing she had _ever_ wanted to hear from anybody in her life was that they _loved_ her, and now that she had heard it, she was _speechless._ She felt dirty, ashamed, _wrong_...!

Arnold replied softly beside her, "Helga, are you okay?"

Helga was silent, "Good night, Arnold."

He said, "You're going to bed?"

She said, "We were almost _caught_. Did you want to continue and have me thrown out?"

Arnold admitted in a whisper, "Well, _no_ , but I don't think I can fall asleep if you _don't." I might have to do something at this point..._

Helga whispered back, "Your parents are walking around the house, you _can't_ go to the bathroom and take care of it, and we _can't_ be doing stuff up here either, what if they _hear_ us? What if they know what you're doing? Besides, I just told them you're _asleep."_

Arnold took a breath. He was _extremely_ tense, but he also didn't need Helga to become homeless because of his actions. Why was the line suddenly blurred between right and wrong? He didn't want to stop at this point. "I don't know what else to do, I won't be able to fall asleep, feeling like this."

Helga whispered, "I'm sorry, can you just... I don't know... _deal_ with it tonight? Just go to sleep; you'll feel better in the morning."

He sighed, uncomfortable, "I'll... I'll _try_ , Helga." He felt his stomach tightening; his body wouldn't calm down. _I must stop shaking if I want to sleep tonight..._ but he couldn't stop thinking about her teeth on his neck, her hand on his hips, her slow passionate kisses.

He could fall asleep like this, _right?_ At the very least, he could do it for his girlfriend, _right?_ He had never felt so… uneasy.

Sleep finally overtook him, an hour later, after _much_ tossing and turning...


	11. Chapter 11: The Chains of Addiction

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. _This_ chapter is rated **M** for heavy conflict and sexual situations. You have been warned.

* * *

 **Hi-Chan:** Nope. I've never read adult content until I was nineteen. I was actually in my second year of college and required to read "The Lovely Bones". That's when I started getting curious about other M rated stuff. Yeah, college will open your eyes to a lot of things lol. I'm taking a guess you're going to be very disappointed with Helga in this chapter, and Arnold gets worse. Thanks for the review.  
 **J.A.M:** Pool wasn't heated? LMAO oh man, that's messed up! Anyway, I think you'll like this one. Arnold is still a bit dense, but he gets wise quick! Thanks for the review.  
 **SakiKitty:** Um, yeah, about them not going further... this chapter they go a bit, well, nuts. And Arnold's worse. Read with precautions if you decide to read the M stuff. Thanks for the review.  
 **Starfiction123:** Yep, totally got the idea from you. Actually, I edited the last chapter to give you credit. I knew I got the idea from somewhere, just couldn't remember who. Anyhow, I am so glad that you liked the last chapter! Read this one with precautions, Arnold takes some cold showers, but they don't help much XD Thanks for the review.  
 **Ezza:** So glad you like it so far! Here's hoping you like this chapter. Thanks for the review.  
Thatamosgirl: Lol I laughed writing the last chapter. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Hope you like this one. Thanks for the review.  
 **Smoothcriminal16:** Thank you for the encouragement. I might need some considering the places I'm planning on taking this story, but there is a reason for it. They will be in character in this chapter too. Arnold might be a bit disturbing with how in character he is lol and Helga gets even... darker. Thanks so much for the review.  
 **ForeverRogue:** So happy that you're enjoying the story. I couldn't believe half of the stuff I wrote for the last chapter, and this one. I love writing Gerald, but later on, things get a bit dark for him. Helga needs love, it's too bad she doesn't know how to recieve it half the time. You'll see a bit of what I mean in this chapter. Thanks for the review.  
 **Burnadarksoul5000:** Thank you so much for all of your reviews! They will keep acting their age as this story progresses, at least until they get more experience in those areas. I mean, they can't naturally know what to do. That wouldn't be realistic. Helga still wants to change. The question is, can she? You'll definately see some Dark Arnold in this chapter XD  
 **FullthrottleArmy:** You're prepared for anything? That's encouraging. If that's the case, you'll love this risk-taking chapter. This chapter is 37 pages long, 45 with the extra stuff I didn't include. Information at the end about that... thanks for the review!  
 **LY3T:** I will eventually fill in all the plot holes. Might take me a few chapters, but you'll understand everything by the end of the story. Yes, she was really planning on giving him an orgasm. That's nothing once you read this chapter lol thanks for the review.  
 **Everythingicecream:** I like your name. No more references, though I had to go there because Craig Bartlett said personally two of the characters were, and Hey Arnold has never been shy talking about that matter or showing it. Thanks for the review.  
 **Laylion4869:** Your review cracked me up! So glad you liked the last chapter. Thanks for the review.  
 **Guest:** Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.  
 **MJFrogone72813:** It's a beautiful song. :) Thanks for the review.  
 **Butt Nut:** I feel bad responding to you with that name. Glad you like this so far. Here's the next one. Thanks for the review.  
 **Ajay435:** Honestly don't know if you're skipping the M chapters or not, so I'll respond here. Things get a bit more crazy with Arnold and Helga in this chapter so if you read the M stuff, read with precautions. It will be teen again in a couple more chapters. Helga continues acknowledging their relationship publicly, but she has different struggles now. The question is: can she really change? She does want to now. Thanks for the review.  
 **Pokeshipper4life:** Arnold was really wrapping Helga's leg around him in chapter 9. That was a heck of a scene to write! You'll feel worse for Arnold in this one, at first at least, and yes he's clueless about sex... for now. The tension is building up. Thank you for all of your reviews! I'm happy that you're enjoying the story so far.  
 **The Wasp1995:** This chapter is more risk-taking than the last one. You can only imagine 'how', but they are in character and there's a point to it later on. I was told as advice for this story to go all out, and that's what I intend to do. I tried to lay light on some things at first, but it just didn't work. It took away the passion and the in-characterness from my writing and I couldn't have that, so I had to go back to explaining stuff, but not be 'too' descriptive. Not exactly the easiest thing to do. You'll see how I played Arnold and Helga. Yes, 12-13 is about the age some preteens start 'experimenting' and I think you know where I'm headed with this... Hopefully it holds, because I haven't seen it done this way in this fandom yet. Difficult plot to pass, but now I can see why after writing this chapter. It isn't exactly an easy thing to do. Thanks for the review.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: The Chains of Addiction**

Arnold looked around in confusion. Why was he in the YMAA Gym with only his swimming shorts on?

He began to walk around. He was looking for someone, _anyone_ to tell him what's going on, "Hello?! Is anyone here?!" His voice echoed as he tried to find somebody to get him out of there, "Hello?!" He stopped near the center of the room and looked around, and that's when he felt something or somebody pull his left leg down into the center pool.

He sunk underneath the water. Once he was able to recover from the shock, he swam up to the surface quickly. He gasped once he could breath. He found a ledge on his right, and put his elbows on it, leaning against it. He rubbed his eyes with both of his hands to clear the water out.

Somebody swam up to the pool surface and over to him. The mysterious figure grabbed his two arms, and he gasped. As soon as they broke their hold, he quickly turned around to see who it was. A female he was familiar with spoke to him, "Criminy, Football Head, I didn't think it would be _that_ easy to bring you into the water with me. Do you _ever_ pay attention to where you're walking or what's going on?"

He gasped in shock, " _Helga?!_ What's going on?"

Helga took his hands and entwined them in hers gently, she spoke softly, "Don't you remember? You asked me to meet you here, at the YMAA Gym."

"I did?"

Helga nodded, "Of _course_ you did! We had to find _somewhere_ to get away from your parents and the class if we wanted to _do_ stuff."

Arnold shivered in the water, but it wasn't from the cold. He wanted to do stuff with her? Still, there was something _wrong_ with this picture. Why would he ask her to meet him unsupervised at the YMAA Gym? It didn't sound like him at all. He asked, curiously, "Um, Helga, what time is it?"

She shrugged, "Probably about two in the morning."

He stared into her eyes in shock, "Shouldn't we be going home? Don't we have school tomorrow?"

She let go of his hands, crossing her arms with a scowl, "No way, Football Head! You've begged me to come here all stinkin' day. Fat chance I'm leaving you before you have your _way_ with me."

He whispered, confused, "Have my way with you? How would I do _that?"_

She took his shoulders in her hands to push his back against the ledge of the pool, to start making out with him, "Enough with all the questions already," she whispered, "don't think, just act," she kissed him. She licked his lips and it wasn't long before he opened up and allowed her entrance into his mouth.

He kept kissing her. Nobody was around to stop them. Besides, whatever they were doing felt _really_ good and he didn't want to stop.

She ran her hands down from the side of his chest to his hip line. She felt him gasp in her mouth, and used that opportunity to pull back. She kissed him a few times on the lips softly before running kisses down to his neck. She _loved_ torturing him.

He breathed roughly as he took her shoulders to pull her away from him, "Wait a minute, Helga. I don't know if we should be doing this."

She rolled her eyes, irritated, "Figures. When things start to get heated, you _always_ back down. Sometimes I think you just don't want me." She walked up the steps to the wooden floor, over to a white sunbathing chair.

That was when Arnold noticed the bikini his girlfriend had on, it was a hot pink with plenty of glitter. It did nothing to hide her curves and her developing chest from him. Her tight little rear end made the bottom of her suit wiggle as she walked, with water cascading down her legs in little rivulets that trailed behind her on the tile **.** She sat on the pool chair, and he ogled her as her nicely toned bottom relaxed to support her weight, the angle of the chair drawing his line of sight directly to her nicely budding breasts, hidden away beneath her pink bikini he longed to touch, stretch, and discard. It reminded him of the bikini's they were wearing on the R **-** rated movie poster he saw a few days ago. He gulped, starting to sweat. He couldn't believe she found herself _undesirable, he_ desired her. "It's... hey listen, it's not that I _want_ to stop. It's that I don't want to start something we can't finish." He used the steps to walk out of the pool waters himself, and followed her over to the two chairs on the side. He laid on the other one, beside her.

She lowered her sunglasses from her eyes a moment to glance at him, and whispered, "So, why don't you _finish_ it, then? Why don't you and me _both_ finish? I _am_ your girlfriend, after all."

He didn't understand her double meanings, but he pressed on, "I don't know if we _should._ Look, I want to do stuff with you, but I don't want us to get caught."

She rolled her eyes as she leaned back to sunbathe, "We won't get caught, so stop your worrying. What's holding you back anyway? It's not like anyone's going to find out, and I'd rather lose it to _you_ than anyone else."

Arnold sat up to stare at her, trying not to look at her body, but her eyes, "I... I don't know, Helga. I _want_ to..." For one of the first times in his life, he was having difficulty saying no when he knew he needed to. What was stopping them from doing stuff in a private area away from everyone?

Helga took her sunglasses off and threw them on the ground beside her to look into his worried eyes. She noticed his hesitance and reassured him, "Relax, Arnold-o. You're dreaming,"

He blinked, "I'm dreaming? _Really?"_

"This is all a dream, you can do whatever you want to me in it. You can kiss me, touch me, grope me, feel me. We can even have _sex_ , and there's _no_ consequences. No adults or kids our age are going to come in and tell you not to, and I'm sure the heck not stopping you."

He bit his lip, and tried not to think too much about that. He felt tightness in his lower stomach, and closed his eyes in pain. "I guess we _could_ ," he grimaced... what was he _saying_ , they were still _preteens!_ "Oh, Helga. Why do you have to make things so difficult for me?"

She sighed, "Do you know what's difficult, Arnold? Spending your whole life feeling worthless to everyone. My parents _never_ wanted anything to do with me. I never had lunches or meals until I came to live with you. I never had a mom that wasn't an alcoholic or a dad that wasn't always gone. I _finally_ get the chance at having a family that loves me and a boyfriend that wants me as much as I want them. Why are you refusing to give in? This is the love I've desperately longed for my whole life. Sure, it will probably hurt the first time, but you can kiss all those scars away. You can take away all my deep-seated pain just by a couple of tender touches. Have you ever felt like that, Arnold? That deep hole in your heart that nothing else can fill except unconditional love? I bet you haven't." Helga paused, reaching out to stroke his hand, and then, slowly getting up to move closer to him, his eyes widened as she spoke, "Do you even _understand_ why we're here? I'm the desire for the Helga that you _love._ The desire that you're ashamed of feeling. You can't admit your feelings for me. You're afraid that they're not real or that you'll disappoint me. Those are _your_ hang-ups, not mine. I already _know_ I'm in love with you." She pushed him gently against the chair as she got on top of his lap. "I am here to help you conquer your fears. But until you do, until you stop worrying about what you think others want you to do and focus on what _you_ want, _nothing_ will ever change."

"So, if I give in, I'll be able to figure out my feelings?" he whispered to her lips, his heart skipping a beat.

She whispered, "Yes, now do your worst."

With those words, he gave in **.** He met her tongue with his heatedly and went in a clockwise motion inside her mouth. Together their tongues clashed against each other. He darted from the top of her mouth to the bottom and back again. He pulled her closer to him, losing control of his thoughts. Her body was pressed tightly to him. Her small breasts gently flattened through her top against his bare chest, a present reminder of just how feminine the tomboy could be. A low groan escaped his throat as she started to grind on his hips, pressing the heat of their sexes together. She was teasing him. He broke the kiss hesitantly. He was breathing harshly, shaking _badly,_ his pupils were dilated. "Are you _sure_ this is okay?" his very core shook as she continued her back and forth motion on his hips, slow and steady. "I mean, I don't... I don't..." he groaned as she met his lips with hers again, applying more pressure between her legs, forcing his erection to rage beneath his swim trunks. _What am I holding back for? She_ _did_ _say this was a dream. It's practice, so whatever I do now doesn't have consequences, right...?_

And then, she said a couple of words that caused his brain to shut down. She whispered to him, "It's okay to give in, my love."

He breathed shakily. He ran his itching fingers down her hips and back up to her chest. He was more _curious_ than anything. He broke the kiss, "Can I touch your breasts?"

She smirked as she grabbed his curious hands to place them on both of her breasts, covered by the pink bikini she was wearing. "You want to touch them? Go ahead. This is what they call _foreplay_."

He moved his hands against her chest curiously, sliding over the bikini cups hiding her chest from sight. "Foreplay?" The material was so soft. He wanted _more,_ he whispered, "Can I... can I take it off?"

She licked her way up the back of his neck, gently nibbling his earlobe as she whispered, "The clasp is in the front."

He groaned as he put his hands in front of her chest, trying to find the clasp to unhook the top of her bikini. He found it, undoing it and pulling each cup away from the other. The pink straps fell down, making her bare chest easy to look at and grab. He felt himself tremble as he reached out to touch her breasts. They were small, still fairly flat, with an unmistakable rounding of the flesh beginning to take hold. She was so soft, so tender, so... _perfect_ _ **.**_ And all his.

She groaned as he touched her **;** the soft flesh of her chest giving way to every knead and caress he gave to her. But it was unfair for _him_ to be having all the fun, and with a wicked grin she moved her right hand down to feel him through his blue swimming trunks.

He gasped, and she grabbed her boyfriend **'** s shoulders so he wouldn't collapse. She stared at him as he tried to catch his breath, "Criminy, you're sensitive. I barely even _touched_ you. Heck, I haven't even pulled down your shorts yet!"

He grabbed her hand. He didn't want it to leave it's place, "Can you do it again, _please?_ That felt _really_ good."

She blinked in surprise, but then smirked as she softly reached inside his shorts to touch him again. "You like this, huh?"

He gasped with a shaky breath. He was too out of breath to say anything, concentrating on the odd yet pleasurable feeling he had never experienced before. He felt pressure building up in his stomach and his groin, but he didn't know what the purpose of it was. His breath began to hitch again, short breaths cut off by gasps. Helga grew concerned and removed her hand, but his own hand took her wrist almost instantly. He brought her hand back inside his shorts, moving her fingers along his shaft. "Please don't stop," he breathed.

She could tell he was enjoying what she was doing, and so, she stopped. She rested her hand, her fingertips barely making contact with his overly sensitized flesh. Her teasing earned a groan of displeasure from him. She said, "What's the matter, Arnold-o? Am I too much for your hormones to handle?"

He was frustrated beyond understanding. He told her to continue, why did she _stop?_ He said the only thing he could think of, teeth clenched in effort to control his hormones. "How about we just have sex?"

She blinked. "Right _now?_ Criminy, I didn't know you were ready for the main course already! What about _Foreplay?"_

He groaned, "Foreplay is _frustrating._ I don't want you to just touch me anymore. Besides, you _did_ say you wanted to lose yourself to me, right? Let's lose ourselves to each other. You're the only one I want to be with, too."

"Way to dispense with the romance, bucko."

He felt a grin slide to his face as he stared at her. "This is a _dream_. I could wake up _anytime._ Do you want to spend all our time teasing each other, or do you want to have sex?"

Helga was silent a moment, putting a finger to her chin in thought. "Yeah, sure, what the hey. Let's have sex." She stood up off the chair first, he stood up off the seat too, and then she asked, "So, where do you want us to do this?"

He rubbed his neck nervously, "Well, we _could_ do it on the floor, I guess. We'll have plenty of room."

His girlfriend took off the last article of clothes she had on, her bikini bottoms. They slid down her legs with ease. She stepped out of them, leaving the wet fabric in a wad on the floor. She was now completely naked in front of him. She made no effort to hide herself as she sat down on the tile floor. She laid back, looking up at him nervously.

He could feel his body shaking and his stomach tightening. His girlfriend was lying completely naked in front of him on the YMAA Gym floor. He needed to do this before he lost his nerve. He took off his shorts to sit on top of her hips, putting his hips against hers. He knew he needed to enter her somewhere, but he couldn't think with her chest in front of him and her naked flesh pressing against him. She was not only beautiful, but _desirable_ , especially with nothing on. Every feature of her body was laid bare to him. He whispered nervously, "Can you guide me? I don't know what I'm doing." _Calm down, calm down. It's just Helga. Relax..._

"It's instinct, Arnold. You just got to go down the right hole. Here," she grabbed his member to lead him to her entrance. "Feel where I naturally give, and then you want to give a gentle push," Helga propped her weight onto her hands, palms digging into the tile as she pressed her sex forward against him while he pushed into her. There was a gentle giving as he felt her sex fold to the will of its visitor. The folds of her labia took gentle hold around him as he eased inside of her. He listened to Helga's gasps of approval as her tight wetness began slowly surrounding him, encompassing him...

"Helga, you're so hot, you're _perfect_ , it feels like...like," Words were not enough to do the sensations justice, and he simply rolled his hips forward and opened his eyes to find that he was...

 _Wetting_ himself? No, that wasn't it. There was warm wetness surrounding him, but it wasn't from Helga like it was in his dream. It was from... from _him._ He gasped as he felt his body spasm again. He noticed he had his arms still wrapped around his girlfriend and his body up against her back. He slowly let go of her as he continued to spasm without any control over his body. He gasped again, the odd feelings he was experiencing were new to him. Was _this_ what they talked about yesterday in class? Was _this_ a wet dream he was having? After about thirty seconds, he felt himself stop releasing whatever was coming out of him. He turned on his back in total shock and embarrassment, his eyes opened wide. He could tell he _completely_ ruined his underwear, maybe even part of his _night-clothes._ What would he tell his _parents?_ What would he tell his _girlfriend?_ He had been pressed against her through part of it. Did he get _her_ wet too?

He felt ashamed, sticky, and disturbed. He had sex with his girlfriend in his sleep, and didn't even _think_ about the consequences. Why didn't he use a _condom?_ Why would he even have sex with her in the first place, and on the _YMAA gym floor?!_

He gulped, nervously. He glanced at the clock. 6:37 AM.

He wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon...

* * *

 **A month earlier...**

Miriam was outside of the homeless shelter in her purple dress she usually wore. She was dirty and crying. She was on her knees, begging the manager of the shelter to let her inside. "Please, forgive me, sir. It was a drunken mistake!"

The tall dark **-** haired man looked down at her in sympathy, he was the manager of the shelter. He was wearing all black. Beside him stood a security guard dressed in black as well, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Pataki, but a mistake typically happens only _once._ You knew what you were doing. Not only did you bring an empty beer bottle into this shelter; you stole money from people inside the shelter. This wasn't even the first time it's happened!"

She cried, grabbing the security guard's black pants legs, "It won't happen again, I _swear! Please_ don't throw me out of the shelter!"

The dark-haired security guard spoke, "You promised me that when you first brought alcohol in off the streets. I don't typically allow for even _one_ incident, but I believed you wouldn't do it again. We have a very strict no **-** alcohol policy here. I shouldn't have even given you the chance the first time."

Miriam collapsed on the ground, feeling completely defeated, "Please, sir. You don't understand! This is my only chance to change! I've lost _everything_ , my two daughters, my husband, my family! _Please,_ give me one more chance!"

"I'm sorry, but you can't come back to this shelter. If you do, I'll have no choice but to call the police. You need to leave. I'm sorry about your situation, but you will need to stop the drinking if you expect life to work for you again. I wish you the best." He shut the door in her face.

Miriam could do nothing but cry hysterically in front of that homeless shelter. The door was shut and locked. She was _completely_ homeless now, with nothing and nobody left in her life.

* * *

As Robert walked out of the back of the prison, finally free, his _ex-fiancee_ gave him a strong hug. The police guards watched their reunion with precautions **.**

Olga said, "Oh, Robert, I was so concerned! I'm sorry it took me so long to get you out, I didn't have any money saved from my college expenses. I needed to sell the car to pay your bail."

Robert cried, hugging her back tightly, "I'm sorry too, Olga. You were right the whole time. I should have _never_ hit you or your sister. I want to change, I truly do! Please, give me one more chance to be a different person."

She wiped his tears away as they held hands and walked out of the prison. They walked down the street to the nearest bus stop together, "I know, Robert, and I know that you _can_ and _will_ change. I want you in my life forever. I want us to try this relationship again one day. I want you to be my future husband, the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with." _I wish I could live without you, but I'll have nothing. I've already lost my family.._ _._

He said, "And I want you to be the love of my life, my trophy wife, my bride, my everything! I don't want to be like my father anymore." _I hope I can change, but I know that's impossible. I'm_ _always_ _going to be abusive like my father.._ _._

She said, "I'm not going _anywhere_ this time, and I'm _so_ sorry for not being everything I could be for you."

They embraced and cried together, truly wanting to make a change, but having _no_ clue where to start...

* * *

 **January 6th... 7 AM.**

"It's 7 o clock on K-I-L-L. This one goes out to _Harold,_ who's going to _die_ in four hours thirty minutes and forty-seven seconds from Rhonda who hates you." Helga groaned as she hit the snooze button on the alarm. She opened her eyes, not wanting to get up, "You know, Football Head, change of plans: Bring those annoying potato alarm clocks back out. Hearing your name repeatedly is better than waking up to _this_ crap." She was silent a moment as she waited for him to respond to her sarcasm, "What's the matter now, cat got your tongue? You're _never_ this quiet in the mornings. Usually you're annoyingly happy, and what's with you not hugging me like you usually do? My bad mood in the mornings never stopped you _before."_

Arnold was still laying on his back, finding his ceiling tile _very_ interesting, the patterns of it were a lot more appealing than the conversation his girlfriend was trying to start. He didn't want to explain what happened.

The silence was deafening to her, so she spoke up again, "Would you say something already?! I feel like I'm speaking to a _wall._ What's your deal?" She paused a minute, and then blinked in realization. She smirked to herself, "Oh _, I_ get it. You're a typical man **,** "

That got Arnold curious enough to speak up, "Typical man? What are you talking about?"

Helga spoke, matter-of-factly with a smirk, "You wanted an orgasm last night, _remember?_ Your parents caught us upstairs, so you couldn't _have_ one. I'm taking it you're all upset because you couldn't get what you wanted. Guys are more sex **-** prone than us girls are, and they get upset when they don't get what they want, at least from what I've read."

He gulped, how in the world was he supposed to tell his girlfriend that he _did_ have an orgasm, laying right beside her? He felt humiliated already, but knew if he didn't tell her, she would probably find out, "That's... uh, kind of what I needed to discuss with you this morning-"

"-What, you want me to give you an orgasm before school while your parents are at work? Can't you at least wait until _after_ school? Don't tell me you're so sex deprived that you can't hang on a few hours!" She smirked, she _loved_ teasing her boyfriend and making him uncomfortable, and she _knew_ it would turn him on.

It was with those words that he finally admitted it, "I've... uh, kind of already, had one, this morning, but uh, thanks for the offer." He blushed, raising his left hand over his forehead and sighing, upset with himself.

She was silent a moment as she thought about what he said, "Is _that_ why you've been so silent? You're recovering from 'getting yourself off'?"

He sighed, she just didn't get it. He pulled up the covers a bit more to cover his shoulders, even though he knew it wouldn't cover up the mess he made underneath, "It's not that. Oh, Helga, I'm so sorry. I think that I... well, I think that I had one in my sleep."

Her eyes widened, she slowly turned around on her back to look at him in shock. He was blushing, covers over him, staring up at the ceiling blankly. She said, " _Oh no_ , Arnold. You don't just _think_ that you had a wet dream in your sleep, you _know_ it!"

He groaned and then whispered to her, embarrassed, "Okay, so I _know_ I had a wet dream, but what do I _do_ about it?"

Helga was panicking now. "Are you seriously asking me what you're supposed to _do?_ Heh, heh, come on, bucko, quit kidding around with me. This isn't like the _first_ one you've ever had in your life, right?"

She could tell from his nervous and worried look, it probably _was._ He whispered, "This has never happened to me before. What do I do? How do I hide this from my parents? Oh boy, this is _so_ embarrassing!"

She sat up and grabbed his shoulders to sit him up and look into his eyes, "Would you pull yourself together! We've got to think _logically_ now. Your parents aren't home, _right?_ So we have time to _hide_ all of this. If they find out you had a wet dream, I'll be thrown out for good! It'll be goodbye home and future family, _hel-lo_ foster care, sheesh." She hit her left hand on her head in agony, and then blinked when she heard the front door open downstairs, and a bunch of animals running out the door. In her nightgown, She got up out of bed and ran to the room door. All of a sudden, she could hear voices talking. It was his _parents,_ his parents _just_ got home. She shut the door and locked it softly. She started biting her nail and turned around to stare into his shocked face. She whispered, "Your parents are home early, what are we supposed to do _now?!_ How do we hide _this?!"_

He took a deep breath and ran a shaky hand through his hair, "Okay, _okay_... um, I think this will be less embarrassing for me if you, well, go hide in my closet while I get undressed."

"You want me to hide in your closet? Are you absolutely _insane?!_ We've got more stuff to do than play hide and seek, Arnold-o."

Arnold whispered embarrassed, "I feel bad enough, and if you go downstairs to get dressed, what are you going to tell my _parents_ about this? It's not just _you_ getting thrown out I'm worried about. I don't want them to know I... I _did_ this to myself."

She held up a finger, coming up with an excuse, "You _overslept!_ We can tell them that you _overslept!"_

He sighed, "Yeah but there's _another_ problem; what are we going to do with my wet clothes? I have a trash can up in here I can put them in, but I don't know if my parents are going to take out the trash. I mean, if I leave them in the laundry they _might_ not see them, but I don't have the time to do my laundry before school starts." _Not to mention Grandpa would be suspicious if I did laundry now._

She smacked her head in frustration, "Don't be _stupid,_ if your parents are _really_ nosy they can go through your trash, they can go through your laundry, heck they can go through anything you have up in this room! New plan, grab a bag and stick them in there! I'll run them across the street and put them in the trash can next door! There's _no way_ they would _ever_ think about looking in _there!"_ She panicked, _Hurry up, Arnold. Get up already! They could come upstairs any second!_

He pointed to his closet nervously, "Helga? The closet? _Please?_ I don't want you to see me like this!"

She blinked for a second, and then made her way over to the closet and shut the door while her boyfriend changed. Unlike she usually was, she wasn't tempted to peek at him. Seeing him naked was one thing, but she wasn't sure whether it excited her or disgusted her to see him completely covered in his own, well, _stuff._

And Arnold's words outside of the closet did not encourage her one bit, " _Ew_ , oh my God, this is absolutely _disgusting!_ Helga, where are the bags you said you had?"

She yelled from the closet, "I have one in my backpack that I put some leftover chips in, dump the chips in the trash and put your messed **-** up clothes in there!" She was covering her eyes completely, embarrassed to open them, even though she was surrounded by total darkness in his closet. His embarrassment was embarrassing _her_. She asked softly, "You didn't mess up your sheets too, did you?" _Please_ _, Arnold,_ _please_ _tell me you didn't! It's going to be difficult enough to hide carrying your clothing across the street, even_ _worse_ _if I have to carry a sheet in the bag too.._ _._

As Arnold stood naked and stuffed his clothing and one bed sheet in the bag, he replied to her, "I'd... um... prefer not to answer that question."

Helga eyes widened, "There's _no way!_ How much did you...?! _"_ and _that's_ when she felt the back of her nightgown to see if it was even a _bit_ damp, to her shock, it _was. He... he was holding me in his sleep! Ack...!_ She gasped as she tore off her nightgown and threw it out of the closet; her body shook in disgust. That was the _last_ way she wanted to wake up beside him, _ever._

He looked up in shock, as he saw her nightgown hit the floor in front of him, and he heard his girlfriend yell, "Put it in the trash, _now!"_

He grabbed her dress, noticing that he had dampened the back of it, and threw it in the grocery bag with complete shock.

In nothing but her underwear inside his closet, Helga yelled, "Once you're dressed, hand me my school outfit! I'll stick my hand out of the closet to catch it!"

Just then, there was a knock on Arnold's door.

Arnold and Helga grew silent.

Arnold froze as one of his parents behind the door twisted the doorknob. He hurried up and got dressed, grabbed her school outfit from the floor and threw Helga's clothes over to her. Thankfully she caught it with her left hand outside the closet, and shut the door quickly to get dressed.

There was another knock on his door.

Miles said on the other side, "Arnold, Helga, are you guys up for school yet? You're going to miss your bus. It's supposed to take off in five minutes. What are you guys doing in here and why is the door locked?"

Helga stepped out of the closet, dressed in her school outfit. She noticed the bag on the floor that was filled with clothes and his sheet, and whispered to her boyfriend, "I'm going to run the bag across the street. Make your bed real quick so they don't suspect anything. Don't open that door until I get back, got it?" After a distracted nod from him, Helga walked up his skylight steps quickly, thankful she had before so she could get it done as fast as possible. Arnold grabbed a quilt and covered up his entire bed with it, putting two pillows together over it, making it look like it was made and only _he_ slept in it. After Arnold made his bed, Helga made her way down the steps back inside his room. She noticed Arnold getting himself composed and walked over to the door to answer it. Miles was on the other side, looking irritated. His arms were crossed.

Miles said, "What's going on? Do you both realize what time it is, and why do you have the door locked?"

Helga quickly said, "We _overslept!_ Didn't hear the alarm go off! And uh... we forgot to unlock it last night before heading to bed. Heh, heh." She was usually _much_ better at lying, but she was a bundle of nerves, "Why are _you_ so worried about our lives, anyway? Just worry about your _own!_ Speaking of your own life, why did you never stay in touch with your parents when you and Stella got lost in that jungle? Did you ever _think_ it would be a good idea to exchange contact information in case of an emergency?" She changed the subject, hoping to get his attention off what was going on with her and Arnold that morning. She didn't realize how ignorant she sounded in the process.

Miles looked at her, sternly, "We were only planning on being gone a _month_. The sleeping sickness was _a lot_ worse when we got there. We had no reason to give out contact information."

Helga was on a roll, and continued, "So, you'd rather have your parents _worry_ about you while you're stuck in the jungle for ten years. Yeah, that's _smart."_

Miles was getting frustrated, "I just came up here to make sure you were both up for school. I didn't come up here to start an argument with you, but if you're going to be argumentative like this, you're going to have to find another place to stay-"

Helga growled, he was trying to throw her out _again_... but she didn't do anything wrong except tell him the _truth!_ "I'm not being argumentative, I'm stating _facts!_ You're wondering simple stuff about our lives. It's not so simple to understand why you decided to worry your family and friends for over ten years!" She hated people meddling in her personal business, so she would meddle in theirs.

That was when Stella walked over to the scene, "What is going on over here? Why aren't you two at the bus stop? You're going to miss your bus this morning."

Miles looked at his wife, aggravated, "The two even had the _door_ locked when I came up." If something happened to his son again and he couldn't get to him, he might _never_ recover...

Stella took a glance at Helga, "Helga, what's going on? I thought you told me you would unlock the door last night."

Miles replied to Stella in shock, realizing that Helga lied to him, "She unlocked the door last night? She told _me_ she forgot."

Stella didn't appreciate dishonesty, and said to Helga, "Now, I realize in the past you've kept secrets. You didn't like to be open with people and honest about things, but sweetie, under _our_ roof you have to abide by _our_ rules. You _can't_ leave the door locked every night and you _can't_ lie to us about things. If there's something that you need to discuss with us, you need to tell us. If there's a reason the door needs to be locked, you need to let us know ahead of time. If something happened to you or my son and I couldn't get into the room, I would be _very_ upset. So would Miles."

Helga was panicking at this point, _She thinks I'm keeping_ _secrets_ _?! I'm not keeping any secrets, right? I mean, it's not like you guys_ _don't_ _know me and your son are in a relationship and sleeping together, or that we make-out under your roof every other day, or that your son's getting curious about sex and even had a wet dream last night. Nope, not any secrets here!_ She changed the subject, "Did you guys ever think that _you're_ the ones that have the _problems!? You're_ the ones that are so worried about your son that you need the door unlocked every day to monitor his every move. He doesn't _need_ you guys to follow him around and tell him what to do, and I don't either. I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm an eleven-year-old that can handle her _own_ life problems. I've been handling them myself for _years_ , no thanks to _you two._ You don't need to check on us 24/7! It's _one_ thing living with parents that want nothing to do with you, but you guys are complete _opposite!_ Paranoid _and_ obsessive! You shelter him like he's a little five-year-old! This just in, you're _never_ going to have your little boy back again, so quit trying!"

Finally able to speak up from all the nervousness and upset at Helga speaking to his parents so harshly, Arnold said, "Helga, _please,_ we don't need all of this drama right now."

Stella and Miles exchanged a look of disappointment, before Miles spoke, looking at Helga sternly, "Listen, Helga, me and Stella have to talk and decide whether you can continue to stay here. Your attitude needs to change."

Helga blinked in shock, she had done it _again,_ her anger was going to get her thrown out of _another_ place...!

Arnold spoke up, "Mom, Dad, she has no place to go! Please, let go of the way she's reacting! She doesn't know any better!"

Stella looked at her son sadly, "Get ready for school, sweetie. We'll talk about all of this later." With those words, they walked back downstairs together silently.

After they left, Arnold shut the door softly, he turned to Helga, all awkwardness gone from him after the argument he watched take place between Helga and both of his parents. She was looking at the ground, embarrassed. He couldn't _understand_ her. Didn't she _appreciate_ what she had? He leaned against the door in exhaustion from the events of the day, and softly said to his _"secret"_ girlfriend, "Why would you react like that? They've given you a place to stay. I'm doing everything possible to keep you here. I even lied to my parents about our relationship and us sleeping in the same bed together." His voice increased as he was growing fed up with her aggressive behavior, "If you're going to keep reacting to people like this, they're eventually going to give up on you. You're going to lose everything you have if you keep this up! Did you really want that _again?!"_

Helga looked off to the side in silence. She couldn't say a word, because she _knew_ he was right. Even after Stella told her she loved her last night, she _still_ couldn't stop being mean and aggressive...

* * *

 **January 13th...**

Miriam was stepping off the train. She had slept there lately after they kicked her out of the homeless shelter. Trains and buses were a lot better to sleep in than on the streets. If it was snowing or freezing outside, she was thankful to be in some sort of protective place. She was hoping to find her way to Olga's to maybe stay there, but it was far away from the train station and difficult to remember where she lived. Wherever she could sleep she slept, any food she could find in trash cans or that people on the street gave her, she took. She had _completely_ hit rock bottom, and it was a _hopeless_ situation, but at least she knew she could stop _drinking_ now. The only thing that could _ever_ stop her from drinking was losing all of her friends that she occasionally called and went out with, along with all the cash she had to spend. Since she had none of it, she was _forced_ to change. With her foundations taken out from under her, she had no possibility of getting any alcohol or smoothies.

Fortunately, she didn't realize she was right across the street from Olga's house. Olga stepped out of her house to take the trash out for that night. She looked across the street to see the _last_ person she expected, looking through a trash-can on the other side of the street. "Mummy, oh _Mummy!_ I just missed you so much!" Miriam looked up just as Olga ran across the street and threw her arms around her tightly, not carrying how her mother smelled, nor how dirty she was. She _did_ take a glance at her after breaking the hug, and noticed her purple dress torn and muddy, "You look _terrible!_ What are you doing all the way in this part of town, Mom? Come in my house, I'll get you something to eat and then you can take a shower."

...

Olga and Miriam were sitting in her house, on a green couch. It wasn't the _best_ place. It looked like a lot of stuff was missing, a lot of stuff needed to be updated. Some stuff had been taken or sold, but Miriam was happy to be off the streets, at least temporarily.

As she told Olga her story, she grew more and more despondent. Olga had no _idea_ her mother struggled with alcoholism so _badly,_ and she wanted to wrap her arms around her and reassure her that everything would be alright.

Miriam continued, "...And so, B was trying to look for a way to bring in some money so that we could pay our bill for the Beeper Emporium, and he got the opportunity to sell the business. I didn't have much of a say so in the matter, you know I haven't worked in a couple of years. I figured I would be going with him, but he got in a fight with me the day before the business sold. I guess he didn't want to be with me anymore. That's when I made a couple of smoothies, but I couldn't stop drinking them. It wasn't that they tasted good, but it had some sort of numbing effect on me. It took away all the emotional pain I was experiencing. It took me to another world where I didn't have to worry about the house being sold, or being separated from my family, or B divorcing me. I had felt relaxed before, but never to _that_ extent. I couldn't put down the smoothie after that. I didn't think a couple little drinks would hurt. I was only doing it to _feel_ better. After I overdosed and went into the hospital, I was told he left for Oregon, and with no money, the only choice I had was to check into a homeless shelter. I've been so worried about Helga lately, I wasn't sure if she went with him, or if I would ever hear from her again. I haven't heard from her since B left. I knew you wouldn't have any of my contact information to get in touch with me, and I didn't have your new number either, so I was lost. I stayed in the homeless shelter for a couple of weeks, but I started to go through alcoholic withdrawal, at least that's what the people at the homeless shelter said it was. I managed to get some money together from some people there to heal my body, but in a drunken haze, I carried some alcohol in my pocketbook into the shelter. They kicked me out after that. I truly _wanted_ to change, Olga, but I tried _everything_ and I _can't._ I _know_ I can't stop drinking now. I guess the best thing about being homeless is that I'm finally able to take responsibility for my life. Now that I'm broke, I can finally make the decisions I need to make to get myself well again. Now that I'm not in touch with old friends that drink, I can't get any alcohol or smoothies."

Olga was now crying silently, "Why would you _do_ that to yourself, Mom?! If you're having trouble stopping yourself from using alcohol, why don't you stay with _me?_ Me and Robert will take care of you until you're well. He works, and I can take care of things at home. I can take care of _you._ The _last_ thing I want is for you to be out on the streets _homeless!"_

Being sober for over a month, Miriam recognized the situation between Olga and Robert as being somewhat familiar to her. She sadly replied, "Olga... I don't want to meddle into your business, but your living situation sounds _exactly_ how mine and B's marriage started. He was working all the time and I was a stay at home mother. You don't remember, do you? Not that I _want_ you to remember what happened when you were a toddler. They're not good memories at all. I thought he was the one when I met him at the bar. We could talk about _anything,_ and we related to each other so naturally. It wasn't until I married him and we moved in together that I saw he wasn't the same person I knew before we lived together. He was abusive. I stayed at home, took care of you, and did housework, but I couldn't get away from the situation. Not only was he the major financial provider for us, but with my dad's recent death, I felt alone so I stuck with him. B was somebody that loved me and that could take care of me, _just_ like my father did. Having Helga was not planned. If it weren't for me becoming pregnant a second time, it's possible I would have gotten a divorce sooner. I couldn't let both you and Helga go without having a family."

That was when her daughter broke down in tears. She raised her hands to her eyes and cried hysterically, "I didn't want to admit it, Mummy, but it's true! Everything you said is true about my life! I thought for _sure_ he was the one! I still believe that he _can_ be the one, he just needs to change _himself._ I'm going to love him while he changes himself. This isn't going to be like what you've been through in your life, Mummy. He's only hit me a couple of times, and I think being in jail made him realize what was _important._ I didn't want to give up on a family, our future, a marriage with children!"

Miriam laughed nervously, "Oh sweetie, you don't... You don't realize what you're saying. You're in the _same_ situation and you're blind to what's in front of you. Before long, it's going to be more than a couple of times a week he's going to hit you. Then he'll be gone all the time and you'll never see him. You won't have a life of your own apart from doing housework. And then, you'll be like _me_ and become depressed, you'll start drinking or finding something to get into to make you feel happy again."

Olga cried, "You _must_ understand! He wasn't _like_ this when I first met him! He's not only smart, dedicated, and hard-working, but he's also a wonderful provider, not only _financially_ but _emotionally._ I wouldn't know _what_ to do without him in my life. Ever since Daddy left, I felt completely lonely. I've only received one call from Dad since he's moved away. It's like he's forgotten his past life and his children with it. I wanted to set up my life and now that I found somebody that matters to me, I can't let go of him! I can't let Robert leave me like Daddy did. He's all I have! I wouldn't know _what_ to do without him in my life!"

Miriam was overcome with emotions, and cried with her daughter, "Oh, I _understand,_ Olga. I understand _too_ well. Unfortunately, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to move in with you."

"What, but _why!?"_

Miriam sighed, "Because I'll fall back into the same patterns that I did before living here."

"The same patterns, what do you _mean?_ I'm sure I just don't _understand!"_

Miriam said, "Bob's abusive tendencies early in our marriage was what led me to start drinking. If I live with you and Robert and he's abusive like you admitted, it's going to trigger the drinking again. As much as I would love to live with you and be there as a mother, I just can't do it if I want to change. I want there to be a chance I can have a proper relationship with you and Helga in the future. I want there to be a chance I can get my own place and not be dependent on alcohol. I want to be happy. Happiness is something I haven't known for _so_ long. I'm afraid I have no choice but to be homeless until I can work out my own problems, until I'm free from this dependency that I can't shake away. And Olga, I really wish you would listen to me and do the same before things get worse and you really _are_ stuck. This house is in your name, right? Why don't you get rid of Robert and get yourself a full-time job? There's plenty of places that would hire somebody like you, and I know you have your college degree."

Olga admitted, "Unfortunately, many places don't care for college degrees as much as I thought. They would rather have a person with _a lot_ of experience, which is something I don't have. I've spent all these years going to college and it's very difficult to find even a _part-time_ job in my field of study. If I had the ability, I would consider getting rid of Robert, even though I depend on him more than my very life, but I _can't_ do that because he's signed on the house _with_ me. We agreed to it when he started supporting me financially. It's under a binding contract and we would _both_ have to agree to get him off it."

Miriam cried, "Olga, what have you done with your life, baby? You're _completely_ ruining your life now!"

"I'm not ruining my life; I'm making my life! This is the only thing that I can do!"

With those words, they both broke down in tears and hugged each other. They cried together. They didn't know _what_ to do about their situation, _either_ of them. Olga was stuck in a relationship that was unhealthy for her. Miriam was homeless. They were _both_ stuck in the chains of addiction with no way out, and nobody to help them.

* * *

For Arnold, it had been one week since his **"** _wet dream_ **"**. It was a week of pure _torture_. He couldn't concentrate on his lunch, he couldn't sleep anymore beside his girlfriend. Every move she made drew his attention. He was turned on half of the time during class, and he couldn't pay attention to what was even being taught. Not to mention he had _no_ privacy to do _anything_ about it, _no_ chance to be in the bathroom without the boarders or his grandparents and parents knowing about it. He wasn't willing for _anybody_ to catch him _**"**_ _taking care of himself_ _ **"**_ in the bathrooms at school. It was frustrating and humiliating, and trying to hide it every day was getting _more_ difficult.

At the moment, he was sitting at a table all by himself. He was picking at his meatloaf and potatoes, unable to concentrate on eating the cafeteria food. The days he bought cafeteria food it wasn't always the greatest, but it wasn't because of the quality that he couldn't eat his lunch. It was because of his _girlfriend,_ who was making her way over to him. For some reason, he was starting to notice little things about her he _never_ noticed before. He blamed it on graphic dreams as of lately. He had to stop his eyes from looking over her _chest_ , down her _curves_ all the way to the bottom of her _legs._ If only stopping those thoughts would stop that annoying intense feeling that was building up inside him _again._ He didn't want to have _another_ embarrassing _"wet dream"._ He'd almost had another one _already,_ but he wasn't sure what else to _do_ about the intense feelings. He knew he could figure out how to play with himself to get the tension to go away, but he was under the watchful eye of everybody _all the time_ , so he didn't bother trying.

His girlfriend sat across from him, she chanced a weak smile. At least she could finally get along with _him,_ even if she couldn't get along with his _parents,_ "Hey, Football Head, how's it going? Figured I could at least talk to _you_ even if I can't talk to the boarders or your family. Sure I apologized, but it's still a miracle your parents let me stay. What the heck did you tell them after that argument?"

He couldn't focus on her words, just her body language. He managed to hear _half_ of the conversation, and replied, "I told them that you're trying to change. That you have patterns you're trying to break and that you don't mean to treat people that way. And, uh, that you were having your period." Here she began fuming, but calmed down when he continued, "But Helga, I can't keep making up excuses for you every time you explode in anger at somebody. Not only is there going to be a time I won't be there, but there's going to be a time where the consequences catch up to you. I don't want you to be forced to leave the boarding house, but I can't change you or your behavior. I can only do so much to help you out."

Helga had to laugh at the obvious statement; of _course_ he couldn't change her. Was he just _realizing_ that? "Wow, are you _just_ realizing you can't change me? Way to state the obvious, bucko. Now enough analyzing my crazy little life, what about _yours?_ You've been acting weird all week, it's like you're not even paying attention in class anymore! I thought you would be _happy_ that I'm opening up our relationship to the school, even if your parents don't know about it yet." Being open about their relationship was the _only_ thing she could be open about, and it made her sad.

Arnold rubbed his neck with his left hand, and then chanced a glance into her eyes. He tried not to concentrate on how deeply blue they were, and how much they turned him on, " I... appreciate you being open."

She said, "Then what the heck is your problem lately? Has somebody's problem caused you to get all air **-** headed? Has the stress of more tests and homework assignments in sixth grade completely messed your _mind_ up? _You're_ the one that always tells _me_ I need to open up. Why don't _you_ open up for a change!" If only she could _stop_ her tongue-lashing at the one boy she cared for more than anything in the world; even trying to be herself around him, she couldn't help but yell and ridicule him fifty percent of the time.

He stopped his eyes from going any further down. Why was he already looking at her breasts again? His hormones were driving him _crazy_. He sighed, giving up the battle. She _was_ his girlfriend after all, maybe she could help him out... somehow. He pushed his food away from him, and looked at her sadly, "I've been really distracted lately. I think this thing they call puberty is _really_ getting to me. I haven't been able to sleep right. I haven't been able to concentrate _at all_ in class. I keep thinking about..." he looked away, " _Other_ things."

She smirked, at _that_ point she couldn't help but tease her boyfriend, "Like what, _getting yourself off_ in the boarding house bathroom?"

He looked up at her, "Well, you see, I can't exactly do that with everybody at the boarding house. They're in and out of the bathrooms all the time taking showers, and when the showers aren't used, my parents are getting ready for work. I couldn't _'take care of it'_ if I tried."

She blinked in surprise, _Wait a minute, he_ _still_ _hasn't had an orgasm while he's been awake? Well, I guess that makes sense. I haven't seen him doing anything different lately. Huh, wonders never cease._ She said out loud, "So, what have you been _doing_ about it lately? Come on, you _can't_ tell me you don't know how to _take care of it_ by now. With that health class, I'm _sure_ you put two and two together."

He was shivering just _thinking_ about it, but his strong self-control refused to cave in to the temptation, "Oh, I think I could figure out how to do it if I could get into a private place, but I have _no_ privacy." Feeling defeated, he whispered, "And lately, it's really getting to me. I mean, I almost had another wet dream the other day. I can't remember being _this_ on edge for seven days, _ever."_

She thought to herself, _Figures Mr. Goody Two-Shoes wouldn't want to "_ _take care of himself_ _"._ She blinked, thinking about the _last_ thing he said, _Wait a minute, he's been "_ _on edge_ _" for seven days?! Criminy..._ She was speechless, her eyes widened as she watched him looking around, probably to distract himself.

His eyes finally met hers again to see her staring at him in shock, and _that's_ when he realized what he just admitted to his girlfriend. His left hand hit the top of his head in embarrassment, _Great,_ _now_ _she's going to think I'm hormone-driven or something..._ "I'm sorry, can you just... _ignore_ what I said _?_ I shouldn't have admitted that out loud."

But she _couldn't_ , how could she have _not_ noticed for the past seven days the **"** tenseness **"** he was feeling around her was because he was... "You've been all _'hot and bothered'_ for _seven days!?_ And you haven't even _done_ anything about it!? _How?_ I would be going _insane!"_ It was times like _that_ she was thankful she could orgasm just from _thinking_ about him.

He was starting to get aggravated from being questioned about something he didn't _want_ to talk about out in the open, he didn't _need_ everybody to know about his " _problem_ " _._ He whispered, bending closer to her, "Helga, do you think you could be quiet about this? I mean, I don't need everyone else to know."

"But for a whole _week?!_ What the heck are you holding back for, just go to the bathroom during class!" she admired his self-control, but there _had_ to be a breaking point, right?

Just the _thought_ of " _taking care of himself_ " in school had him panicking, "I'm not about to do _that!_ What if one of the other kids caught me? And you know I'm not about to do it in my room with you _staying_ there, how appropriate would _that_ be?"

She was growing frustrated of his hesitance to relieve his " _tension_ " _,_ and groaned in frustration. She hit her head with her right hand, "Oh, for crying out loud!" With _that_ comment, she got up off the chair and grabbed his arm to pull him out of the lunch room. She dragged him to the nearest closet, which happened to be the Janitor's Closet on her left. She pulled him in. She looked out the door, and took a glance to her left and right to make sure nobody saw where they both went. She shut and locked the door, until it clicked.

He heard the click, and his heart sped up. He was nervous, _incredibly_ nervous at what he had a feeling she _might_ be doing, "Helga, I'm not trying to be, well, _indecent,_ but, are you _really_ planning on, you know?" He rubbed his arm nervously, glancing at her in embarrassment at the whole situation. It was one thing being nervous about being caught touching himself, but _another_ with them hiding and her " _taking care of him_ " _._

Helga put a finger to her mouth to urge him to be quiet. She glanced at the door, and then grabbed his shoulders. "Shh, listen. If you _really_ want to do this, we're going to have to _whisper_ during it."

Arnold could feel himself shaking from his head all the way down to his feet; his stomach muscles were not the _only_ thing that was more " _tense_ "on him, but they _couldn't, could_ they? Oh, god, he _so_ wanted to. "Helga, I just... I don't..." His resistance was fading. He had been" _stressed up_ " for a whole _week_. He changed his words, "You know you don't have to do this, right?"

She took his hands and entwined them with hers and looked into his eyes, nervously, "Are you scared?"

He gulped, "Yes. I mean, this is brand new for me. Are you actually planning on... _touching_ me?"

She asked him in a whisper, "Is your fear of being caught and touching yourself for the first time holding you back from doing it? Arnold, if you don't release this _tension_ it's going to drive you _insane._ There's nothing wrong with _'taking care of yourself'_ once in a while. Don't you take care of everyone else problems already? You have to learn to take care of your own!"

He took a deep breath, rather shakily, "It's, uh... not that I don't _want_ to. Listen, you don't need to do this for me. The _last_ thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable."

With more motivation, that he was only worried about _her_ being _uncomfortable_ and didn't seem against the idea of her touching him, she looked around to see a classroom chair with a green seat in the back of the room. It was beside the sink and paper towel dispenser. She lightly took his shoulders in her hands. "You trust me, right?"

Arnold nodded lightly, wondering what she was going to do.

She backed him up, until he reached the chair, and said softly, "Sit down."

He looked beside him to see it, and slowly sat. He looked up at her just as she knelt next to him.

Her heart was beating rapidly as well, she was nervous just " _thinking_ "about doing something so intimate with her love, even with his _permission._

He already felt like gasping, and she hadn't even _touched_ him yet. This wasn't good, it wasn't good _at all_. He whispered to her, trying to think _logically,_ "I'm going to be too _loud._ I don't think I can hold myself back if you do this. We... uh, shouldn't be in here, doing this." He winced in pain as he felt his body twitching against his words, rejecting them.

Helga said nervously, "I'm not going to do this unless you _want_ me to do it. I'm not risking us both being expelled from school for no reason! Sure, I want to touch you. I want to touch _everything_ on you, but I also have enough common sense to _not_ do it if your _Mr. Do-The-Right-Thing-Do-Goodie-Nature_ is going to come to the rescue again."

As her body and her hands got closer to him, to wrap themselves around his neck, he admitted to her in a whisper, "But, I don't _want_ it to come to the rescue anymore. I want to do this, _badly._ I want to get rid of this intense feeling, and I _want_ you to touch me. Is that wrong to say?"

Helga was still on her knees on the floor, but backed off him as she reassured him, "Arnold, you don't need to tip-toe around me. It's just me, your _girlfriend._ You can be honest with me about these things. There's nothing wrong with you feeling that way. Heck, if you didn't feel that way for me something would be _wrong_. You don't _always_ have to save the day. Sometimes you can let your guard down. I'm not going to judge you for it. I've been judged enough in my lifetime for the both of us!"

He whispered, grabbing her hands tightly, "Then, touch me. Teach me what it feels like to lose control."

Helga heard the bell ring for their recess break, at _that_ point, she _knew_ she had thirty minutes to _"take care of him"_ before class started. Thankfully, everybody would be out for recess so nobody would hear _anything._ She moved closer to him, nervously. She looked into his eyes intensely, he looked both nervous _and_ excited. She asked him for his permission, to be sure, "Are you one hundred percent _sure_ you're okay with this?"

At that point, all he could think about was being _released,_ but not from the Janitor's Closet. He wanted to be released from this _prison_ that he was in, feeling so " _tense_ " to the point that it was driving him _insane!_ How could he _possibly_ say no to her touch, even though he was a bit nervous with what she was going to do? Not only had he never touched himself, he had never had anybody _else_ touch _him_. He said softly and nervously, "Yes, I'm sure, but... can we start off slow and work our way down?"

She blinked in surprise at her love wanting a little more romance in the _lust-filled_ situation. She leaned into him, and whispered, "Sounds good." She met her lips with his, kissing him softly at first, and then pressing her lips against his, opening her mouth to receive him. She seductively let him duel with her tongue, to play with it like she was planning on doing to his body. She was nervous, but she wanted him. She would do _anything_ to please him, even risk being _expelled._ She backed away from his lips to whisper her thoughts, at the one time in her life she knew she could admit them, "I love you, Football Head." And with those words, she cleaned his lips again, her tongue quickly finding his.

He didn't know if it was from her deep passionate kisses, her fast-moving tongue, or her love filled words, but he was already feeling like going further. He was deepening the kiss, his hands were running down her shoulders to the bottom of her back. He was having a difficult time resisting not grabbing more skin on her. He didn't just want her to open up as a person, he wanted her to open her body _completely_ to him, to get lost in her, possibly _forever._ He had no _clue_ what it felt like, but he was certain his _mind_ wouldn't have a problem finding out. He groaned, deepening the kiss, and gripping her dress in the back.

Helga broke the kiss, with a groan from Arnold. She could tell he was getting more _excited_ by his deeper kisses. She decided to bite his bottom lip to get him more " _wound up_ " _._ If there was _one_ thing she always enjoyed doing to her love, it was _teasing_ him, in every way possible.

He moaned as she nibbled on his lips. God, he _needed_ her to do something, _anything_ but _torment_ him like this. He pulled her back from his lips, and whispered, " _Please..._ you're driving me crazy, _please._ I want you to touch me. I'm ready to feel your hands."

That was the motivation she needed, and she finally put her hands underneath his shirt to feel down his chest, his muscles tensed up as she went lower, toward his hips and the place she knew he was aching for her touch. She was hesitant. She didn't start by putting her hand inside his pants, but let her hand linger on where she felt his bulge pushing into them. She massaged him from the outside. Her heart was _racing_ , she was _sweating_ , _Criminy he's hard. He's so firm, even through his pants! How the heck did he resist doing this for so long?!_

Just those little motions caused him to groan. He wanted to push his _member_ into her hands, feel her touch, _anything_ to bring her closer. He was... he was _dying_ inside waiting for her to continue.

They met each other's eyes, both nervous to go further, yet desperate to feel _more._ He grabbed her left hand with his right hand, keeping it still from her torturous movements against him. He begged, "Go... go inside, _please_. Touch me."

Her heart was beating into her lungs at this point. He really _was_ giving her permission to go further. Of _course_ she wanted to, but having his permission was erotic for her in itself. It was making her _excited_ , but she had to be _sure_ she wasn't hearing things. She loved him _too_ much. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, "Are you... Are you _sure?" Please say yes, please say yes._

Her pleading tone to touch him did it for him, and all his self-control was _gone_. Who cared about _decency_ anymore. He felt like he was going to _explode_ inside. He moved her hand down to bring it closer to him, inside of his pants and his underwear, to touch what he desperately needed her to touch. He closed his eyes with a relieved breath as she gripped him curiously.

She gasped in shock. He led her hand right to where he was... so _turned on_ and _ready_ for her to keep going. She started stroking him experimentally. She was taking a guess at what to do. Everything was _new_ to her. Had he _really_ been this firm for seven whole days?! Already, she was feeling _wet_ just thinking about it.

He groaned, was _this_ what it felt like to pleasure yourself? It was _amazing!_ How come he had held himself back from doing it, what was he so _afraid_ of? So _what_ if somebody caught him, the pleasure of it was too much to worry about being caught anymore! All she was doing was feeling him, exploring him, pressing on him, but it triggered feelings he had never _felt_ before. He could see himself in the future asking her to do it _over_ and _over_ again. He wanted her to touch him more than she was already doing. He reached for her hand inside his pants to try to show her what he wanted, just _how_ he wanted to be gripped and stroked. He was too out of breath to explain much to her. His breathing had kicked up to well over a healthy level.

Helga was breathing deep now as well, taking a glance at her love to see his eyes closed in pleasure, _his_ hand was bringing _her_ hand to stroke him slowly. She could feel herself getting even wetter. Watching him react to her touch was one of the _hottest_ things she had ever seen in her life, and she _knew_ she could orgasm _just_ from watching him. She wouldn't even _need_ to touch herself like she was doing to him. She could replay the scene in her head for weeks to "come".

As she stroked him faster he could feel himself breathing even faster. _What_ was happening? He felt like he was becoming even _more_ tense, but it was still pleasurable. He didn't know what was about to happen, but he began to get a little scared. He let go of her lips and he managed to stop her hands from moving against him, he whispered, " _Stop,_ Helga."

She was confused, "What do you mean _stop?_ You want us to stop _now,_ when it's starting to feel really _good?"_

He moaned in the back of his throat, and his hands subconsciously started moving her hands against his _member_ again. He admitted heatedly and out of breath, " _Mmm_ , I feel like something... _weird_ _ **'**_ _s_ happening... to me... but I don't want you... to stop."

"I don't want to stop either," she whispered, feeling herself reaching _her_ limit from his tortured expression. She _knew_ from having orgasms before _what_ he was experiencing when he told her something weird was happening. She simply said to him, "Let it happen, then."

Even more tenseness was building up inside him, but he didn't want her to stop stroking him. He breathed harshly, "Let it...?"

She whimpered, not sure if she was talking to _herself_ or _him_ at that point, "Let it go!" Before meeting his lips in a heated French kiss. She felt him gasp into her mouth and she groaned in pleasure as she reached down his length to catch what she assumed was his release from the buildup of pleasure. He was releasing into her hand, twitching, shuddering, and bucking with each gasp in her mouth. She dueled with his tongue, hoping to keep him quiet during this part, and using her other hand to pull him closer to her while _she "_ came", she stroked his back with her hands to comfort him as she continued to catch the essence of him with her hand. He was hot, _really_ hot, _burning_ hot, was it _normal_ to be _that_ hot inside for a guy when they released? As soon as he " _finished_ ", she pulled her hand outside of his pants. He let go of her lips to breathe harshly. He was _completely_ out of breath and collapsed against the back of the chair.

He was sweating on his head and under his arms, especially down where she had just brought him pleasure. Whatever happened when he had a wet dream was similar to what happened then, with his girlfriend. It was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced. He had _never_ felt so _relaxed_ in his life...

As Arnold caught his breath, Helga got up off her knees and looked around. She hoped to find something she could use to wipe off the evidence of what they had done, and to clean her hands off from what she had caught of him from his release. She found a rag next to a nearby sink, and to her relief she saw a paper towel dispenser above the sink. She walked rather shakily over to turn on the sink and wash her hands with soap. She grabbed multiple paper towels to wipe her hands, and threw them in a nearby trash can when she was done. He wasn't the _only_ one that finished, she could feel that she was more than a little damp herself. Watching him react like that had caused her a reaction _just_ like his. She knew she would need to hit a bathroom before class to clean herself up.

After using a clean rag to wipe the sweat off her face and arms, she rung it out and cleaned it. She made her way back over to Arnold, who was still seated and looked tired, but a lot more _relaxed_ than earlier. He had pulled up his pants at that point and just stared as she stopped beside him. She handed him the rag as they both looked at each other in shock at what just took place between them.

As he took the rag from her and started to wipe his forehead and his face,. He said to her softly, "Was _that_ what an orgasm feels like, Helga?"

She nodded.

He admitted to her, in a whisper, "It's _amazing!"_

She sighed, "Yeah, but now we've got to hit the bathrooms to clean the rest of ourselves up."

He nodded. He knew what she was talking about, as she didn't catch all of his "release" in her hands during his orgasm. He handed her back the rag.

Helga heard the end of recess bell ring, and knew that they only had about five minutes to clean up and get to class. They needed an excuse, _quick,_ "Alright, Hair boy. Nobody can know what happened in this Janitor's Closet, got it? If they find out, we're liable to get expelled, or _worse._ What's our excuse this time?"

He thought for a moment about a good excuse, but he could only look up at his girlfriend with a shrug.

She raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? I give you the best orgasm of your _life_ and you can't come up with an excuse to save our butts?"

He smiled sheepishly, "My mind is kind of... _blank_ now. Basically, it's shut down for some reason."

She had to comment, "Well, _that's_ obvious."

He thought a moment before commenting, "You know, I haven't been eating my lunch the last few days, and I _did_ feel kind of sick before you... well, made me feel better. So, why don't we say that I felt sick and you took me to the nurse's office because you were worried I was going to throw up?"

She nodded, _If his head is_ _this_ _clear afterwards, maybe I need to give him orgasms more often_ _._ But she said aloud, "Sounds like a plan, now let's hurry up and get out of here. We _still_ have to hit the bathrooms."

He stood up, walking over to her, "Wait a minute, one more thing before we leave."

She turned to him and crossed her arms, "What is it _now?_ We can't leave the Janitor's Closet at the same time so we have to hurry up!"

He asked nervously, fiddling with his hands and looking down at the ground sheepishly, "The next time that we plan on doing this, do you think... well, could I maybe touch _you?_ You've gotten the chance to touch _me_ , but I've never touched _you_ , and I really want to."

Her cheeks flushed red at his comment, then she shook her head harshly and replied back to him angrily, "Criminy, Arnoldo, get your stinkin' mind out of the gutter! We've got to get back to class! We'll talk about this later!" _He wants to touch me, fondle me, squeeze me. Oh, Arnold._

He was a bit disappointed, but replied with a sigh, "Sure Helga, whatever you say." But the disappointment about them both " _finishing_ " what they started led him to wonder something.

Why didn't he want to stop _now...?_

* * *

 **January 20th...**

Olga was doing dishes and Robert just got home from work in his blue work shirt and black pants. He ran his left hand through his dark brown hair, tired from the day. He laid his stuff on their green couch to notice there was dust on the table next to it. His mother _never_ left dust around their house when he was growing up. He tried to relax, "Olga, did you really forget to dust today?"

Olga glanced out to the living room at him as she put more dishes in the dish drainer, "I was busy putting in applications for me to get a full-time job. All the housework I was able to get done was vacuuming, mopping, and dishes. I'll dust everything tomorrow."

Robert was trying to control his temper, he really was _,_ but he didn't understand why she was looking for a job when he was the primary provider. He had provided for her so that she could concentrate on being a housewife, why was she changing his plans?! He walked into the kitchen, "Didn't I tell you that you're my housewife, my trophy wife? I'm trying not to, but you're making me very mad." He grit his teeth angrily, when his father had come home angry his mother had gotten a job full-time to stay away from the house. It kept him from being able to spend time with her, something that he needed while being neglected during his young life. He felt like Olga was doing the same thing that his mother did to him, purposely drawing herself away from him. Pretty soon he would have nothing all over again. Why _wouldn't_ that make him angry?

She sighed as she finished the last dish and put it in the drainer, "Sweetie, I don't want you to have to do everything around here all the time. You do enough by working two jobs. The _least_ I can do is bring in some money of my own, plus with the release charges from your prison sentence, we're lower on cash than we usually are. I need to bring in some money for us to live on. Renting a house isn't cheap."

 _That_ did it for him. He started yelling at her, "You're _not_ bringing any money in for me, you understand?! You're to be a stay-at-home house wife. Your job as the woman is to stay home, cook, clean **,** and raise our future children. I'd be damned if I let you do the same thing to me my mother did years ago! I think you just let me out of that prison to watch me suffer! Is _that_ it, Olga? Why would you need to work if _I'm_ working two jobs, where is the logic in _that?!_ We have a _thirty-year_ mortgage, not a _fifteen year_ one. It's not going to cost us _that_ much to survive! We don't even have _kids_ yet! I swear you really know how to mess up a good thing!"

She couldn't help but start crying. It had barely been a _week_ since he moved back in with her, and he was _already_ yelling at her again. Maybe her mother was right, maybe her younger sister was right, maybe she _needed_ to get rid of him for good, but how? She had _always_ felt that need in her heart for somebody to love her, " _Please,_ don't yell, Robert! We agreed to try to work things out from now on! You promised me that you wouldn't be like this!"

He cracked his knuckles. He wanted to do things right, but he was losing control quickly. The past memories of his mother leaving him one day and then dying and never coming back home were consuming him fully. His father would have used him _every day._ It was _so_ much easier to hit to try to get his point across than to try to explain _just_ how angry he was, "I promised I wouldn't hit you, but with the way you're being, you're making me consider doing just that. It's the _only_ way you've ever learned how to be submissive. You just don't _know_ how to be my future wife, do you?"

She was beginning to get scared and started to back up from the dishes as she looked into his eyes, " _Please,_ Robert, I love you! _Please_ don't start hitting me again..." she backed up into the wall. Her hands were soaked from washing dishes, her clothes were dirty and sweaty from housework.

He approached her, his eyes burning with anger, hatred in his heart. That was it for him, he couldn't take it anymore. He _couldn't_ change.

* * *

 **January 27th...**

It was fifteen minutes until class was to be dismissed. Mr. Frank was reading a book at his desk. His class was filling out a history worksheet for the reading assignment they did twenty minutes ago.

Helga was bored. She had finished her worksheet like her best friend had and was waiting for the day to be over. She was as book smart as her older sister, but why wasn't she as _brain_ smart? First, it was _Arnold._ She refused to be herself around him when she moved in the boarding house. She yelled and screamed at him all the time and picked fights about anything. Now that she was getting along with _him,_ she couldn't get along with his _parents._ Now that she had _finally_ let go of her secrecy toward the class about the relationship her and Arnold had, her aggression had turned _towards_ them. She couldn't change. She was starting to bully people like Harold and Rhonda again, but _why?_ She _truly_ wanted to be set free, but she didn't have biological parents that could show her _how_ to. Stella had done nothing but show her compassion, and Miles had done nothing but let her stay with them. It only took one question into her personal business and her emotions went out of control. She was _really_ thinking of giving up _completely_ on herself. Who _cared_ how she acted towards anyone anymore, even _Arnold._ He was right... He couldn't keep saving her from the inevitable and keeping secrets from his parents. It was _unfair_ to him. It was only a matter of time before she would be thrown out of there as well...

Helga sighed. She decided to focus on something else instead of not being able to change. She pulled out her notebook, and broke off a very tiny piece of paper, just enough to make a tiny ball to put through a straw. She pulled out her straw—old habits died hard, she supposed—as she put the straw in her mouth. She hit Arnold with a spit-wad. She was thankful at _that_ point they moved back to their original seats after the sex-ed class _just_ so that she could pick on him. As she expected, he turned around to look into her eyes intensely. She wasn't sure if the heated expression from him was anger or irritation, but she _loved_ it. She whispered harshly, "What?" It didn't matter _how_ many times she did it, it _always_ got his attention.

Arnold was _already_ having trouble concentrating, but now that he had caught a glimpse of his girlfriend's skin, his mind was running _wild._ To say he wasn't _"turned on"_ was an understatement, even _"taking care of himself"_ in the shower every morning wasn't relaxing him during the day. He had just started going to the bathrooms to relieve himself during class time, but it had only been two hours since the _last_ time he went. People would start to get suspicious, wouldn't they? He sighed, he didn't care anymore, he needed to _**"**_ _take care of himself_ _ **"**_ again. He put his left hand up to get Mr. Frank's attention.

Mr. Frank looked over at Arnold, "Yes, Arnold, what is it?"

He said, "May I be excused? I have to go to the bathroom really bad."

Mr. Frank narrowed his eyes, and said, "You _do_ realize there's only ten minutes of class left in the day, correct? You can't wait until you get home?"

Arnold breathed, he wanted to get _"home"_ and as quickly as possible. He said, "I've finished my assignment to turn in, and yes, may I go? _Please?"_

Mr. Frank sighed, "Very well. Give me your assignment and go ahead."

Arnold rushed out of the room with undesired urgency, and Helga couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him. Didn't he go to the bathroom like three times that day _already?_ What was _wrong_ with him? _Football Head has been acting_ _weird_ _the past couple of weeks. Oh well, it's probably nothing to worry about. He probably ate something that disagreed with him or has a touch of that stomach flu going around._ With those thoughts, she opened up her math book, ready to worship her love again while he was away. Unfortunately, just as she started writing, the bell interrupted her thoughts. She scowled in anger. _Figures. I still can't get a blasted minute away from him!_

Mr. Frank said boredly, "Go on, board your buses."

As all the kids ran out, Helga looked around the hallways, but didn't see her boyfriend. This was the _second_ time that week he wasn't there to walk home with her. She shrugged, at least it would give her some time by herself. As she opened the front door of PS 118 and walked down the steps, she saw the _last_ person she expected waiting for her at the bottom: Olga Pataki.

Olga rushed up to her to squeeze her tightly, "There you are, baby sister! Oh, I was just _so_ worried about you! I didn't know where you were or if anyone found you! Oh, I just missed you so much!"

Helga groaned, using her hands to push Olga off her. She had _too_ many problems within herself to enjoy this _"fantastic"_ reunion with her annoying older sister. She said, " _Yeah, yeah, yeah_ , so where have _you_ been the last month? It's bad enough you offered for me to move in while you're living with an abusive man, but did you even _bother_ to search for me _at all?"_ Helga crossed her arms. She couldn't _help_ but be mean, _that_ was the whole problem. Olga may have acted like she cared, but she _obviously_ didn't if she didn't even show any concern the two months she was living with Arnold. She didn't even go _looking_ for her! She was _just_ like all her other family members that left her.

Olga said, "I called Foster Care. I wanted to get involved in the situation, but they told me to stay out of it and they would be in touch if they found you. I didn't get a call from them in the last two months so I figured I would meet you up here at the school. If I didn't see you, I was going to come in and talk with the office. Oh, Helga, where are you staying? Do you have proper money and nutrition? If you need anything you know I'm only a call away! Here, I'll give you my new house number!" She pulled out her purse, looking for a piece of paper.

Helga kept her arms crossed, still not wanting to open up to one of her _nonexistent_ family members, "So, you put me on Foster Care's list instead of going to look for me? All your words are _pointless_ now, Olga. Did you just come by here to make a show in response from your lack of affections the last few months, or do you _actually_ have a reason for volunteering your precious time to me?"

Olga stopped what she was doing to say, "I've been thinking about you a lot, and I was _so_ worried something serious happened. Yesterday I made the decision to go up to your school and make sure you had a place to stay. You can move back in with _me_ now, Helga. Things will be different, I _promise."_

"I'm _sure_ they'll be _a lot_ different now that _Robert_ is out of your life. Did they give him time, and how many years?" She was curious. Hopefully he would be in jail for the rest of his life.

Olga's sighed, kneeling down to her younger sister's level to put a left hand on Helga's right shoulder, she said, "Baby sister, you're only eleven. I wish you wouldn't have gotten involved with trying to fix my problems. I didn't know _what_ to do when Robert went to jail. I wanted to work things out with us before, and it made things more difficult to try after he was locked up."

Helga raised an eyebrow, "You _do_ realize there is no point in trying when your ex **-** fiancé is taken to jail and sentenced for life, right? I mean, I did you a _favor_ to try to help you out, the _least_ you could do is be grateful to me."

Olga played with her hands nervously. She tried to look into Helga's eyes as she confessed, "I _can't_ live without Robert, Helga. I don't know how else to explain it. He's the only one making an income now. I have to find a permanent job now that I've graduated college before I can _try_ to live without him."

Helga's eyes widened, " _What_ exactly are you saying to me? _Please,_ Olga, _please_ don't tell me you did what I _think_ you did?"

Olga burst in hysterical tears, thinking that she almost lost her ex-fiancé for _good_. That they wouldn't _have_ the opportunity to work out the problems they had together, "I had no money to get him out of jail. I had to sell my _car._ I took the bus here to meet you today because I was so worried about you. I figured I could take buses for a while until I can afford another car again. Robert makes enough money to support us both, and I'm sure he can get me another car soon enough." She looked sadly into her little sister's eyes, "That was an awful thing you did, baby sister. Maybe you meant to help us out, but it made everything _worse."_

Helga slowly started to raise her voice, seething from anger, "So, let me get this straight, _Mary Sunshine_. I get you out of an abusive relationship, even while being hit on _myself._ I call the police for you and run away to hide myself so that I don't go to foster care, and you sold your car and gave up the remaining of your finances _just_ to let him back into your life? How entirely _STUPID_ do you have to be to let somebody who's abusing you back into your house? Do you have a mental block or something?! Do you LIKE being physically hurt?!"

Olga cried, she thought it would _please_ Helga that she did the right thing, and that Robert was _truly_ trying to make a change. She explained, "He's _trying_ to change, Helga. He wants to be a better person, just like I want to be a better future wife to him. We aren't in a relationship now, but down the line, he's liable to be my future husband. I want you to _appreciate_ all the things he does right. He is a _part_ of me now. I _can't_ leave him. He's also done better with managing his anger. He's only hit me one time in the last couple weeks."

Helga didn't _get it_ , even when she did the _right_ thing she was _punished_ for it! So that time she spent in the Safehouse after risking her safety was _pointless?_ She didn't even _appreciate_ her calling the police to protect her from being abused! Where was her big sister's mind at, how many times would she have to save Olga from a messed-up relationship for her to _finally_ get it! To not get _involved_ in one?! Her anger was building up _fast,_ and she was losing control. She continued, "If you _really_ cared about me, you would have searched for me sooner and not bailed your ex out of jail instead! If you even had _half_ a brain after going to college, you would know abuse is the reason to stay _out_ of a relationship, not get back _into_ one! What's it going to take for you to understand, huh? _What_ exactly do I need to do to get it through your thick head that all these men you're dating are _using_ you?!" She was closer to Olga now, she felt adrenaline running through her veins. She was even _screaming._ So much for being a _good_ little sister, it was _pointless,_ just like every other _good_ thing she'd done.

"Helga, _please,_ listen to me! You don't _know_ Robert the way that I do. He's really a wonderful hard-working man once you get to know him, who just needs a bit of ti-"

 **! #$%^! #$%^! #$%^**

Helga blinked in shock at herself after she punched Olga in the face. She let her anger get the best of her _again._ She was about to say to her big sister that she would need to put up with this abuse the rest of her life, but she _hit_ her _instead._ She didn't realize what she did until she saw tears in her big sister's eyes, and Olga ran away before she could apologize.

Helga was shaking with anger, and she was disappointed in herself _again._ The millionth person she had yelled at that week, and the third person she had _punched_ in the last few _wonderful._ She knew then that she was _hopeless._ She would _never_ change, no matter what. She would quit trying...

* * *

 **February 3rd...**

It was about six PM. Helga was sitting at Arnold's computer. She was trying to focus on her homework that Friday evening and ignore the deep emptiness in her broken heart; the hole that had been inside of her heart for _years._

Arnold was laying on his bed; he looked to be engaged in a book.

No matter how hard she tried to type out her essay, she couldn't focus on her homework. She was too upset about the way she'd been acting. Cognitive behavior therapy didn't help, even wanting to change herself was pointless. It was no _wonder_ her whole family left her, her father, her mother, and now her _sister_ was gone. Gone for _good,_ and she was likely never to hear from _any_ of them again. She stopped typing and looked over at her boyfriend. He happened to glance up from his book to look at her, or at least she _thought_ he was looking up from his book. He could have been looking at her the whole time and she wouldn't have noticed. She was too distracted with her thoughts. She sighed, "I can't focus on school work, Arnold. Want to go for a walk? We don't have to turn this in until Monday."

Arnold's large pupils stared her down as he tried to focus... _Go for a walk, go for a walk. Hmm, that_ _might_ _be a good way to clear my mind. Then again, it might be a_ _bad_ _idea,_ _especially_ _if we spend the night._ He groaned, he _wanted_ to spend the night with her. He wanted to sleep with her, _anywhere_ away from the place he was sleeping with her _now._ Prying eyes could see them at the boarding house if they _slept_ together. He closed his eyes, why was it so hard to focus these days? So " _hard"_ he was. It was like the line between right and wrong was _blurred_. His mind was on _fire,_ consumed with _nasty_ thoughts. Then again, she didn't care if he was _excited_ or wanted to _sleep_ with her, so why should _he?_ He looked over her body as he said to her, "Well, if you want to spend the night _out_ tonight, I'll ask my parents if we can stay at the Safehouse. Maybe we can spend a few nights there, you know, talk and get to know each other some more." _I_ _really_ _want to get to know her, every_ _part_ _of her._

Helga had to roll her eyes after he said _that._ She stood up off the computer seat, and pushed the chair in. She said, "Is _that_ what you want to do again? This just in, Arnold, you already _know_ practically everything about me. I don't know why you even try half of the time. Your parents don't even _talk_ to me anymore. Pretty soon, you'll be the same way." _Just like everybody else. Just like my family, and just like my life._ _Completely_ _gone and hopeless._

Arnold wasn't thinking about taking a walk, and he wasn't thinking of _talking._ Forget talking when he could put _actions_ to use. He couldn't believe his thoughts. He needed _to stop_ this! He stood up, grabbed his jacket, and walked over to his closet. He didn't even wait for a response from her. He was determined to leave and distract his mind. He handed her an old blue jacket he wore a year ago. He said, "Let's go to the Safehouse and spend the night." _I'm sure my parents will be fine with it as long as I'm_ _with_ _somebody. They think I'm about six anyway._ He felt a shiver, not only from his body, but from the hole in his heart that _longed_ to be filled with _some_ form of emotional intimacy.

They both walked towards the door as he turned off his ceiling lights. He locked it and walked down the stairs with her.

Just as Arnold thought, his parents were downstairs. They were probably cooking dinner or cleaning up. He called out to them, clearly not looking for an answer of _no_ , "We're headed off to spend the night with friends. Will be back tomorrow sometime." It was just a _little_ lie, wouldn't do any harm, right? He _had_ to get rid of this tension he was carrying for the last... who remembers _how_ long. Hopefully Helga wouldn't mind " _taking care of him_ "that night.

Stella looked at her son in surprise, and she called out to them, "Oh, Helga, keep an eye on Arnold for me. I don't want him to talk to any strangers, or get hurt crossing streets. The street lights are just starting to come on and it's getting dark. Be careful you two!"

Helga stopped at the door before walking out, and she called out to her, "Don't worry, Mrs. Shortman. I'll take care of him tonight." At least she could _try_ to get along with his parents, maybe they would start _talking_ to her if she started a decent conversation. She opened her mouth to say more...

...before she had the chance at speaking again, her boyfriend, who was outside, put a hand inside to pull her outside with him. She recovered quickly, holding his hand as they walked down the sidewalk. She raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, but managed to keep her mouth shut.

After hearing Helga's conversation with his mother, it took everything inside of him to _not_ start making out with her and "taking care" of _her_ right in front of the boarding house. He needed to get to that Safehouse, and _quick!_ Somewhere nobody would see them or know what they were doing. Forget distracting himself, he just wanted to _relieve_ himself _now._

Helga was starting to get tired from the fast pace. Why was he in such a hurry? It was like he wanted to escape from the very city they were in. Apparently, something was bothering him as well, but _what?_ Was it the reason he had been acting so _odd_ lately?

After boarding two buses, Helga recognized with sadness they were close to where Olga lived. Why was he taking her so far away from their home? Her feet were getting tired and she wanted to sit down. When she said she wanted to take a walk, the _last_ thing she expected was for it to be a few hours long. Finally, she pulled her hand away from his and crossed her arms. He glanced at her curiously as she asked, "Okay, Bucko. I can only take so much of the run around without asking questions. Where the _heck_ are you taking me?"

Arnold groaned, his mind not focused _at all_ on what she was asking him. _Taking her, taking her... that sounds like_ _such_ _a good idea right now. Wait a minute, what am I_ _thinking_ _? She asked me a_ _question_ _ **.**_ He answered her, "We're going to the Safehouse-"

"-But you _also_ said we were staying with _friends_."

Arnold sighed as he walked over to the Safehouse door. Coincidentally, they were there, "Actually, _that_ was a lie. None of our friends are at the Safehouse tonight. I was just worried my parents wouldn't let me stay out if I was pretty much by myself. I needed this time as much as you do." _Please_ _don't ask too many questions. I just want to get inside and numb my mind now, maybe even my tortured body. Can we just make-out?_

But she said, "You _lied_ to your parents? Wow, Football Head, _that's_ a new one for you. I didn't even think you were _capable_ of it."

He held the door open for her as she walked in and down the steps. He replied to her, "I'm capable of lying. I can't _always_ be the golden boy." _And I sure don't_ _feel_ _like the golden boy, with all the things I'm thinking of doing to you in here_ _._

When she stepped off the ladder, she looked for a place to sit down. Her boyfriend locked the door, stepped off the steps, and followed her inside the Safe-house's living room. Just as his girlfriend found the couch, he turned her around, staring into her eyes darkly.

 _What's... going on? Why's he looking at me like that?_ She spoke, "Arnold, what are you...?"

He backed her up against the wall gently meeting her lips with his... God, it had been _way_ too long since they kissed. He was losing control, _fast._ Of _course_ he wanted to make out with her at the Safehouse, but his body was beginning to think of _other_ things they could do. No adults, no kids, no supervision. Just like his first dream when they were at the gym together. There was nothing stopping him from touching her, _everywhere._ Maybe she would even _let_ him see her this time. Maybe he could make her moan the way that _she_ made _him_ in that Janitor's Closet. The way that he made himself every time he " _took care of himself_ "in the bathroom. He was going _crazy_ with unbearable tension, this _need_ to get to _release,_ and as soon as possible! His tongue was frolicking around hers at a mile a minute. He could taste the cherry flavored gum she had chewed earlier that day. It was so _intoxicating,_ so _addicting._ Everything _about_ her was addicting. He couldn't get his mind _off_ her, oh, he could "get _off"_ on her alright. Just a few simple touches. It didn't matter whether he was sleeping or awake. He wanted to do _everything_ to her, _anything_ to her. It was _such_ a new feeling, and now, he would _finally_ get the chance to make her feel as good as _she_ made _him_ feel. He backed out of her mouth, taking a chance at doing to Helga what _she_ had done to _him_ only weeks ago. He bit her bottom lip softly, his body shook as she groaned in the back of her throat. He slowly made his way down to her neck. Oh, how would it feel to _bite_ her neck? To make _lines,_ maybe even _words_ to show the world that she was his? _Only_ his. He could do whatever he _wanted_ to her there! And _everybody_ would know who she belonged to every time they saw her neck with his _bites_ on it.

Helga felt Arnold's shudder just as she pushed his head away from her neck. It wasn't just his lips she felt, she could feel the length of him against her dress. God was he _that_ turned on _already?_ All they had done was went for a walk! They had hardly said one or two words to each other. They had only been kissing for maybe _five minutes_. Why was he so turned on so _quick?_ She needed to put an end to his erratic and random kissing because he wasn't stopping even with her pushing him away from her neck. She was _supposed_ to be the one who was in control and catching _him_ off guard, _not_ the other way around. She was _sick_ of _him_ catching _her_ off guard all the time. She pushed his lips away from hers, breathing hard. It was difficult enough to stop _without_ him being persistent. As he looked into her eye with his big pupils, she had to stare back with narrowed eyes into his. Who did he think he was? Pushing her against the wall, claiming her lips as his own, and randomly _making out_ in the Safehouse with the door locked. How _dare_ he play her role! She said, "What the _heck_ is going on here?! First, you lie about friends being here, and then you start making out with me as soon as we walk in. Arnold, I thought we came here to _talk!_ You've been so erratic lately it's freaking me out! You've barely said a few words to me in the last month, and when you _do_ speak, you start _kissing_ me instead! And what's with you heading to the bathroom every couple of hours at school, and taking two showers a day at home? Have you been _sick_ or something?" She thought to herself, _Maybe he_ _is_ _sick, he sure is_ _acting_ _sick._

Arnold wanted to claim her lips again, and claim her body as his own. He tried his best to hold himself back, and explain his _ways_ to her. Hopefully he would get to know _her_ way soon enough, "Maybe I _am_ sick, Helga, but if I'm sick, it's only from _you."_

Helga was _sick_ of the double meanings, and growled at him as she replied, "Maybe _love-_ sick bucko, but I haven't been _physically_ sick lately."

Arnold kissed her neck lightly as he admitted to her in a whisper, "I can't get you off my mind. I've been getting myself off all the time to you. I can't stop thinking of doing things to you, really _bad_ things to you."

Helga blinked in shock, her cheeks started to light up. Did he really admit that he wanted to do _naughty_ things to her? _Whoa..._

She was silent, and he was worried that he might be scaring her, so he said, "I'm _so_ sorry, Helga. I've tried to be civil towards you and hold myself back. _That's_ why I've been taking more showers and going to the bathrooms all the time. You're really hard to resist, and it's been _hard_..." he groaned, "because of you. I don't think you realize how hard it is to fall asleep every night. Something about you really gets me wound up, and it keeps me awake." He paused a moment, and it took _everything_ he had not to meet her lips right then and there. He stopped moving beside her lips, and whispered, "Something _about_ you, like how you _feel_ against me, and how you _tease_ me non-stop. Don't get me wrong, I _love_ it. I _love_ what you do to me, because it brings up feelings that I have _never_ felt before. And the more you do it, the more it _rises_ ," he shuddered as he spoke, and he could _swear_ Helga felt it, "Even when you stop teasing me, everything keeps building up. The truth is, these past few months have been nothing but _torture_ for me. No matter how many times I _'take care of myself'_ in the bathroom, it _comes_ ," he shivered, closing his eyes, "everything... comes back to _you._ I've never felt this way about _anyone,_ and I doubt I ever will again."

Helga whispered back to him, "So I turn you on? Is _that_ what you're saying?" It was _then_ she realized what was _wrong_ with him the last month. _He's obsessed with it! He's completely and utterly_ _obsessed_ _with sex!_

He whispered, "Listen, I just want to kiss you right now. Can we continue kissing? _Please?_ You're driving me crazy."

Helga breathed in. Was _this_ his way of trying to tell her that he _loved_ her? "Are you just figuring out that you _love_ me, Arnold? That all the times you've made out with me in the past are ways of expressing your _feelings?" Could it be? Is he finally developing the feelings that I've had for him since I was three? Feelings that I have so long harbored for him._ This would be it. _This_ would be the time that he admitted his love for her. She waited urgently and impatiently. What was he _waiting_ for?! Why didn't he said those three words yet? Was he _trying_ to drive her insane?!

He sighed, how could he _possibly_ tell her he loved her? It felt more like built up sexual frustration than _love,_ and he didn't want to get her hopes up or lie to her. Sure he cared a lot about her, but now he just wanted to _kiss_ her. "I... I can't say that to you. What I _can_ say is that I want you more than anything. I want us to touch each other until we're both so sore we can't get up in the morning. I want to spend the night lost in your arms. I wouldn't mind spending the weekend wrapped up in you. I don't want to stop touching you, not on my _life,_ and I want to show you my body willingly, _all_ of me. I'm hoping that you will show me all of _you_ now, too. I really want to see every part of you, but I wasn't sure how to ask you without sounding _crazy._ Let's... let's do this, _please?_ For so long, I've wanted this emotional intimate connection with somebody, somebody that I could be myself with. Somebody that could 'take care' of me. Let's get lost in each other tonight. I want to do to you what you did to me in the janitor's closet, and _never_ stop. I want to bring you _that_ much pleasure, until I feel your whole body shaking against me. I don't want to _dream_ about it anymore. I want the _real_ thing, like I'm sure you've wanted with me too. I want to give _all_ of me to you. I may not have the same strong feelings you do, but I'm sure I don't want anything or anyone else _but_ you."

Helga gasped. It may not have been a love confession, but it was good enough for her. He wanted her and she was willing to give all of herself to him. He could _touch_ her, _feel_ her, give her _pleasure_ anyway he wished. She whispered, "Then take me. Take me all night, until you're so sore you can't bear to take me no more. I want all of you too, and don't you forget it, bucko. I've waited my whole life for somebody to want me. For somebody to make me feel good inside. That hole inside of me has longed to be filled with nothing but _you._ Take this emotional pain away from me, Arnold! You can have your way with me anytime you wish!" With those words, she met his lips heatedly, quickly finding his tongue and dueling with it. Wow, she was already turned on,and his deep passionate kisses were not making it _any_ easier. Was _this_ why he couldn't hold back? Was _this_ the feelings he was so _consumed_ with? If it was, no _wonder_ he kept on kissing her instead of confessing his feelings. It was too hard to resist, just as hard as the feeling of his body pressed up against hers. It was _obvious_ he wanted _way_ more than just _kisses_ from her. With _that_ thought, she lowered her head down to his neck to start biting him. She started to spell out her initials on his neck. To show the world _just_ who he belonged to: _H.G.P._

Arnold groaned as he pushed her toward him. He was hoping she would bite him even rougher. Whatever the reason, it felt _amazing_ to have her lips on him. He wondered how her lips would feel _everywhere:_ his chest, his stomach, his legs, even his... he groaned as he felt himself shudder, the simple kisses on his neck from her, even the many bites she was leaving was _not_ enough. He wanted _more!_ He took her shoulders to pull her away from his neck, and begged, " _Please_ Helga, don't _torture_ me like this anymore! Let me _see_ you!"

Helga felt her girlhood tremble at his words. She spoke in a playful voice, "What part of me did you want to see, Arnold?"

He groaned, "You have _no_ clue what you're doing to me."

Helga was starting to feel like _she_ was being tortured. Instead of replying, she lifted up her dress and threw it off her and across the room. She met his lips lightly and kissed him softly on the mouth before pulling away. She led his hands to her bra, somewhat nervously. She whispered, "The clasp is in the back, but don't be afraid to undo it." At that moment, she was _so_ thankful to be out of her training bra, although a bit nervous because her breasts weren't very big at all. She was worried he wouldn't like her body or he would be disappointed with it.

Arnold groaned as he put his hands around her and felt for it, with a bit of a struggle. He _finally_ figured out how to click it together and release it. He let her bra drop to the ground and felt her bare breasts with his hands gently, on display just for _him._ He _knew_ she could feel his body shaking against hers with pleasure. Just the _touch_ of her skin and he could already _feel_ himself starting to reach his breaking point.

In spite of him shaking against her, she was _still_ worried what he thought about her breasts. She was self-conscious, and said, "I know they're not much. I just started wearing regular bras late last year. I'm barely an A. Heck, the only reason I'm out of a training bra is because of Olga getting one for me." It was then she felt _bad_ again about what she did to her older sister recently and she looked away from Arnold. She was not only nervous but _ashamed_ of herself.

Arnold took her look as meaning she didn't approve of herself, that she felt _ashamed_ of her body. He looked at her breasts. They had gotten slightly bigger from when he last glimpsed at her bathing suit at the beach. There was a definite roundness around them that was clearly not her muscles. What was more, her nipples were standing out from her skin, begging to be touched. He looked at her face and said, "How can you feel ashamed of them? And how can you feel any hesitance when you turn me on _this_ much? I'm literally _shaking_ against you. You have _no_ idea how hard it is now," he breathed, "how hard it is to control myself and just... wait for you."

Helga looked up into his eyes hesitantly, "Really?"

He said, "Of _course._ You're my _girlfriend,_ Helga. I'm not just with you because of your body, although this is great in itself."

Helga waited for Arnold to make a move. For him to do _something, anything._ Then she realized that _he_ was waiting for _her_ permission. She smirked, "How badly do you want me?"

Arnold pressed his body against hers to show her his " _excitement_ " _,_ and admitted, "Badly."

Helga was encouraged and continued, "How badly do you want to touch me?"

Arnold groaned, "Why are you asking me that? You _know_ how badly I want to touch you."

She whispered, "Then continue touching me. Bring me pleasure like I brought you before."

With those words, he started feeling her breasts. He massaged them and touched them, finding new ways to please and pleasure her. He could do it all _night_ to her. He could do _everything_ to her, including touching her beneath her underwear. It was the _only_ thing that she was wearing now.

Helga moaned as he touched her breasts. Her nipples were _hard_ against his hands. She could see herself asking him to do this again. She could also see herself stroking and playing with _him._ She already _knew_ it would be a _long_ night for the both of them. Maybe they could even go until _morning..._

He was learning as he went along. His girlfriend's breasts were the first he had seen in his life, and he had never fondled, played, or massaged anyone's before. He could tell by the way that she pushed her chest into his hands that she liked what he was doing.

She panted, completely out of breath. It was one thing fantasizing about him, another with him being right in front of her, doing the things to her that she fantasized. She was gripping his arms against her breasts, she didn't want him to stop.

Taking a chance, his fingers reached up to touch her dark nipples. She moaned and closed her eyes in pleasure, so he kept going. He held each nipple with his thumb and forefinger. He squeezed them, and that was when his girlfriend screamed his name. She screamed loud enough for her voice to echo across the neighborhood. He winced from her screaming. He was so thankful he had taken them to a place far away from where they lived.

He let go of her nipples. He was sure that wasn't a scream of pain, but wanting to make sure he didn't hurt her, he asked, "Are you okay?"

She tried to catch her breath and speak. All she could do was pant, "Of... of course... I'm okay... you just... made me..."

Arnold's dirty mind put two and two together quickly, "Did I just make you orgasm? Just by touching your-"

"-Uh-huh." And with that, she collapsed on the ground on her back.

After she collapsed, his concern came back to him. He moved over to lay next to her on the floor. He touched her head as she opened her eyes weakly. He said, "Hey, it's okay. We can stop if you need to take a breather."

Although she was out of breath, she chuckled a bit, "Stop? Stop?! You think I want... to stop after you did that?! Ha, yeah right! And besides, I didn't even get the chance to return the favor. Come here, bucko." With newfound determination, she pushed him on his back and got on top of him on the Safehouse floor. She could feel his heart beating through his chest in nervousness and whispered to him lovesick, "Don't be nervous, my love."

He whispered, "I'm worried I'm going to finish too fast. I've been worked up so long."

She positioned her hips so that she could see the bulge in his pants clearly, she said, "I can tell! Now, how would you like me to do this?"

His mind was a little foggy from all the pleasure, and so he asked, "Do what?"

"We need your pants off, genius, unless you're just planning on me grabbing you from the inside like I did in the Janitor's Closet." Come on, Arnold-o. I want to actually see you this time. Don't be a sap!

"Mmm," thinking about the Janitor's Closet did things to his body and mind, he said, "Get off me a second. I'll pull them down." As she stood off the ground, he breathed, lifting his hips to push his pants and underwear down to his knees. He didn't even bother getting off the ground.

Helga raised an eyebrow as she watched him in surprise. As she saw his erection for the first time since the fourth grade, she could feel her girlhood trembling again. Her whole body was shaking with pleasure. Gone were all the wrinkles she saw behind his couch, except on his testicles, but even those had drawn up close to his body. With him being fully erected, she calculated that he was a couple inches longer than she remembered him. He wasn't very big, considering he was twelve, but she could tell his member had grown a bit in the last few years. What was more erotic was that he was going to allow her to touch him freely, with no barriers. He was so hard, so hot and bothered. He couldn't even bother getting off the ground to take his clothes off. Whoa... she had never seen him so "worked up" before. She knelt down, putting both of her legs on the sides of his legs. She touched his shaft with her hands lightly, just feeling it and exploring him. She was too curious and memorized to do much else.

Just the slightest touch, and he could feel his member hard against her hand. His body wanted to get closer. His hips were trying to raise up to bring himself closer, even with her on the top of his legs. After a few more touches, she stopped.

He was confused and glanced at her face.

She was looking at his member and admiring what she had only seen a couple of times in her life. He certainly had the ability to take her over the edge in any situation. She could tell she would completely ruin her underwear doing this.

He tried to be patient, but he couldn't wait anymore. He said, "You can keep going, you know. Did you need help figuring out what to do? I thought you knew how to touch me from when I showed you in the janitor's closet." with that thought, he gasped.

Her body shook as she watched his member twitch desperately in front of her. It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. She had never seen a penis twitch like that. He was turned on badly, and obviously waiting for her to continue. She looked into his eyes with curiosity and nervousness. It was one thing to see your Lover's penis behind closed doors. A completely different thing to have it close up, right in front of you, longing to be touched.

He groaned in frustration and took her hand to lead it to his penis. She gasped in surprise as he showed her again how to please him, stroking his penis with her hand and showing her what to do. How rough he liked it, "Like... like this," he gasped, "it feels really good when you do that. Stroke it, just like that," he breathed, sweating.

She stroked him for a couple of seconds longer, and then went to the head of his penis and rubbed her thumb against it. She asked him, "What about this, is this okay?" She felt him twitch in her hand, and shudder. His hips raised slightly, and she felt moisture coming out of him as she rubbed him there. She swallowed nervously, stopping herself from rubbing him anymore. He was a lot more excited than she thought. He was already close to...

He moaned, "Don't stop, please. I'm really close to the end."

She started to stroke him again without the assistance of his hands. She built up her speed as she did. She saw a bit more clear fluid coming out of him. Oh yes, he was definitely making sperm, and it was looking to be a lot of it.

He was dying to push himself against her hands, and he knew he had to warn her what was going to happen, "Please, keep going, but... Mmm, will you have something to clean up... afterwards?" He gasped in pleasure, and that was the end for him. His hips bucked off the floor and he started to soak her hand in clear white liquid, arching his back, his whole body trembling.

She gasped. She was used to the heat from the one time he orgasmed in her hand, but not how much he was starting to! He twitched once, twice, three times, four times, Five, wow! Was it normal for a boy his age to release so much sperm? He was even starting to spill it on the top of his legs. He groaned at the hotness, and his spasms started to reduce after that.

She pulled her hand away from his member and looked at him in awe. He was a sight to see: his sweaty body laying on the floor, his left hand on his forehead, his eyes closed in relaxation, his heavy breathing. It was hot, he was hot. Wow, he was hot. She needed to wash her hands and clean up his release from it. She needed to clean up him! Now she knew what he meant by cleaning up, and luckily she saw a sink in the next room. The Safehouse had been used to treat the wounded and heal the sick in the past, so they had plenty of rags, paper towels, and soaps ready to use. She sat up and walked over to the sink. She washed her hands and her arms of his "release". Then, she took a rag and soaked it with cold water. She wiped her face down of the sweat. After that, she used some soap to rinse her arms and hands off, and then dried them with a towel. She went over to Arnold with a rag. He sat up off the floor and he pulled off his sweaty shirt. He grabbed the rag she held out for him to use.

He wiped the sweat off his face and arms first, cooling himself down with the cold rag. He then wiped down from the top of his chest all the way to his member and the top of his legs, that had his fluid all over them.

As she watched him curiously, she had to ask, "Do you always release that much? I mean, I didn't know guys "came" so much when they orgasmed."

After he was finished wiping himself, he collapsed against the floor again in exhaustion. He dropped the rag above where he was laying, and said, "Me neither. I've been learning it's pretty normal for me."

Helga laid sideways next to him. She put her head in her left hand and stared in surprise, "Pretty normal for you? Didn't know I had a sex God as a boyfriend."

He chuckled, "I don't know about that, but I do know I would like to "take care" of you too."

Helga smirked, "You don't even need to ask, Hair boy," she got up quickly and removed her soaked underwear. She laid back down beside him, on her back. "Ready whenever you are."

Arnold could feel himself "stirring" just looking at her naked vagina. He wanted to touch her. He pulled off his pants and underwear the rest of the way to leave them on the ground. His mind reacted before he could give her a warning. He kneeled on top of her legs, each of his leg on each side of hers just like she did to him earlier. He put a curious finger inside of her vagina.

Helga gasped when she felt herself clenching up. She didn't know if it was nervousness from being touched by her love for the first time, or from being turned on for so long. She said, "Well, you don't waste any time at all, do you!?"

He used his finger to feel from the very back of her to the very front of her vagina. He wasn't stroking her, just feeling her and trying to learn where everything was for the first time. She was already so wet. He had never seen nor felt the inside of a vagina in his life. He was curious to learn how to please his girlfriend. He said, "I couldn't control myself when I saw you completely naked. You're just way too hot, and I'm already starting to feel ready again."

Helga whispered, "Criminy! You don't need to flatter me here. I already know you take time to build yourself up. No need to lie." She gasped as he hit a nerve on the top of her vagina. She was guessing it was the nerve she had played with on herself a few times before. She didn't remember what it was called, but it felt amazing just to be touched by his finger on it. She bit her lip as she felt herself getting wetter.

He said, "I'm not lying. When it comes to you, I could go all night without end. It only takes me a few minutes to reset myself."

Helga didn't know whether his touch or his words were turning her on more. Although it sounded odd for him to keep going without a reset, she couldn't concentrate on that when he was touching her so intimately. She could already feel herself approaching another orgasm, "Criminy, Arnold, you haven't even started playing with my button yet and you're already bringing me close!"

He looked surprised as he kept touching her insides in curiosity. He whispered, "Really? You haven't orgasmed yet? I thought for sure you were orgasming while I was touching you. You're so wet right now."

The dirty talk from her boyfriend was doing it to her. She gasped, raising her hips slightly to try and get his hands deeper inside her, "Wow, Arnold-o. Didn't think you were capable of such dirty talk!"

"I'm just stating facts, did you want me to stop?" he asked, and yet he didn't stop touching her. She felt so warm, so good inside.

"Don't you dare stop now! Faster, go faster, and start touching my button!"

He blushed lightly, admitting, "But... I don't know what I'm doing. What am I supposed to touch? Where exactly is your 'button'? Did you want me to go back and forth, or left and right against it?"

Not knowing exactly how to explain it, she sat up and used her hand to drag his finger closer to where she felt the most intense. That little bud that was dying to be touched, "Right... here," she gasped with a groan.

As soon as he felt it, he gasped as he felt his member twitch. Then, he could feel some more moisture soaking his fingers. Apparently he was turning her on from him being turned on. She was opening her legs more and more. He looked into her eyes in surprise, she looked into his intensely, and said, "Don't stop now, keep going!"

He started to play with the little knob, moving it back and forth. He was hoping it was bringing her pleasure and not pain. He could only watch her facial expressions to determine it.

She moaned, she wanted to slam her hips into his hands, push her body closer to his somehow. She was very close, and gave him a warning, "I'm getting close, don't stop no matter what I do, got it?"

He gulped nervously as he continued to play with her at the same speed. He started to feel more wetness against his hand, and looked up at her in surprise as she threw her head back with a gasp. Even more wetness started to soak his hands and he was amazed. He could feel her internal muscles clasping and tugging at his curious fingers with each spasm of her hips. With a long groan, she collapsed against the floor and he could only look at her in shock. then. He pulled his fingers out of her vagina, they were soaked. Did this really happen? Did he really made his girlfriend orgasm, twice!? It was amazing, unbelievable! And honestly, probably better than him doing it to himself! Bringing her pleasure brought him pleasure, and he could already feel himself completely ready to go again. He wiped his hands with the rag above where they were laying. He laid on his back a moment before he couldn't take it anymore. Not even thinking about waiting for her to relax, he took her arms and pulled her on top of him on the floor. He spoke to her surprised gaze, "Want to go again? I'm ready."

Helga blinked, still breathing heavily, "What? That's impossible! How can you already be ready? It's only been ten minutes since you last...!"

"-Yep. I don't understand it either, but I'm ready. I told you that you do strange things to me. So, can we go again? Or did I need to take care of the problem myself?" He smirked, knowing her answer already by the smirk on her face.

"Is that a _dare?"_

He smiled slyly, entwining her hands with his. He whispered heatedly, "Do your worst to me, Pataki. I'm all yours."


	12. Chapter 12: Spellbound

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. _This_ chapter is rated **M** for heavy conflict and sexual situations. You have been warned.

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 **Reviews:  
** **Coolgirl Pataki:** Oh, yes! As soon as he realizes what he's doing wrong, he's going to feel bad. That's Arnold. That's also exactly what happens in this chapter, but now, he doesn't know how to _stop._ Arnold's grandparents are going to come in very soon. As for Arnold's parents? They're getting the help they need to be there for their son, but they still think of him as a little child. The next chapter you're not going to like his parents very much, although you've got to give them credit for _trying_. Thanks for the review!  
 **The JAM:** Olga has a hole in her heart. She feels that Robert is going to fill that hole up, but she is wrong. Didn't even think about Robert having a trial. Don't know if I'm going to show that or not. Miles and Stella never went through what Arnold's going through now obviously. Thanks for the review!  
 **ForeverRogue:** I'm not planning on abandoning this story for a couple years like I did with cafeteria confessions. I already know how I want this story to end, and I'm _dying_ to finish it. Unfortunately, it's going to be awhile before Arnold tells Helga that he loves her. She really _does_ need to hear it by the end of this chapter, though. Just as soon as you put up your Hey Arnold story, I'll read and review it. I can't wait to see what you came up with! I'm sure it's going to be wonderful! Thanks for the review!  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** You're catching on to my whole plotline before _a lot_ of other people. Arnold's hormonal issues get _worse_ in this chapter, although there is a reason. You might want to kill Helga at the end of it. Thanks for the review!  
 **Kurechi:** For being M-Rated, I knew I needed to go all out. Plus I like to show my readers something that they didn't know before and keep them on their toes. Thanks for the review!  
 **Guest:** Your wish is my command. I added that little bit to the last chapter. Thanks for the review!  
 **Thatamosgirl:** Thanks for the encouragement, and thanks for the review! :)  
 **Playoutintherain:** Glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for the encouragement, and thanks for the review! :-)  
 **Bookish Rebel:** Yes, puberty is part of it, but it's also something _else_ which you will see by the end of this chapter. Arnold's Grandpa and him have a _very_ interesting conversation during the next chapter. As for Arnold's parents? Yeah, they are _something_ in the next chapter... Olga and Miriam's problems are going to take a while to resolve, but there _will_ be a happy ending for them, too. Thanks for the review!  
 **Relaxing Pikachu:** The next chapter, you are not going to like Miles and Stella very much for the way they treat Arnold. They do _try_ and be good parents, but they fail _miserably._ Arnold _does_ start spending time "taking care of himself", but it doesn't relieve all of his "tension". Arnold does something about him and Helga's sleeping situation, but it's a bit sad how it happens. You'll see at the end of the chapter what he does. Olga will have a happy ending, Miriam will have a _very_ happy ending. I have something wonderful planned for Miriam later on. Thanks for the review!  
 **L.E. Yet:** Got to shock the fandom, that's my job! ;) I knew I was going deeper then I did in my other story, so everything has to pull together perfectly. Olga and Miriam will come out okay, I don't know how I'm going to work Helga and Olga yet... Arnold goes _more_ crazy with hormones in this chapter, and he _does_ tell Helga that he wants to have sex with her in this one. Yep, I'm not kidding. Thanks for the review!  
 **SakiKitty:** So glad you enjoyed it! Arnold gets even _more_ aggressive in this chapter. Helga gets what she wants for a little while, but then, well, things happen. This story will end on a happy note, but this chapter is pretty sad at the end. You'll see what I mean. Thanks for the review!  
 **Piel Canela:** I'm _so_ glad you're enjoying the story! There is definitely a lot more sexual interactions in this chapter. I wanted to try something different then anyone's tried before, and people have done these kind of plot-lines I'm sure, but not when they're _this_ age. It gives the opportunity for a lot of trial-and-error along with a lot of learning to take place. Thanks for the review!  
 **Arnoldo98:** I'm _so_ glad you enjoy my stories! My main goal is to keep them in character, no matter what. I've always found stories difficult to read when the characters aren't _in-character._ This chapter I only have twenty five pages for you, but there is _a lot_ of stuff going on. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the review!  
 **The Wasp1995:** Helga _still_ wants to change her behavior, but she still doesn't know how to stop being a bully. I'll probably give Olga and Helga a closure in a later chapter. At first, I didn't want Helga to punch Olga, but I realized for my plot, it needed to happen. Helga will surely reach rock bottom before she can change, just like Miriam and Olga. As for my ending? I already know how I want to end this story. It will have a happy ending all around, and _every_ problem will be resolved. It's difficult to see at this point, but once you see how I work it, your mouth will probably drop in _shock._ I seriously can't _wait_ until I get to chapters eighteen and nineteen! And I am _dying_ to write the chapter after the next one. Thanks for the review!

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 **Chapter 12: Spellbound**

 _ **Flashback...**_

 _(The Park)_

 _A: "This... this making out is... ah...amazing. But, if we keep going, and you keep grabbing my head the way that you do, I don't think I can control myself."_

 _H: "Who says I need you to_ _control_ _yourself? Sometimes,_ _I_ _can be the one responsible for_ _Dark Arnold_ _to come out and play."_

 _._

 _(Janitor's Closet)_

 _H: "You don't_ _think_ _that I didn't notice you getting_ _hard_ _under your pants while you kissed me?"_

 _A: "I thought doing this would_ _help_ _, but I think it made it worse. I thought I was going to finish when_ _you_ _did. Watching you react to my touch is one of the hottest things I've_ _ever_ _seen."_

 _._

 _(Sauna)_

 _H: "So, you're curious about your body, huh? When did_ _that_ _begin? Around the time you kissed me in San Lorenzo?"_

 _A: "Um...actually,_ _that_ _started at the end of fifth grade. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone about it, so I kept it to myself."_

 _._

 _(Sunset Arms Rooftop)_

 _A: "I think I need a cold shower. I want to get in the shower_ _with_ _you, but you know why I can't."_

 _H: "Oh? Embarrassed to try more with your_ _girlfriend_ _? Are you going to lock the bathroom door when you shower? I can sneak in, you know."_

 _._

 _(Arnold's Room)_

 _H: "So, you want to see me naked, lover-boy? I was wondering when you were going to ask that, but we have to get ready for_ _school_ _first."_

 _A: "Why do you have to be such a tease? It wasn't_ _my_ _idea to get me off this morning, Helga. It was_ _your_ _idea. I can't be blamed for_ _that_ _one. You started this, it's time for me to finish it. Is the door locked?"_

 _._

 _ **End Flashback...**_

 **A month later: Thursday, March 10th…**

Helga couldn't have been more relieved for it to be recess time. Arnold and she weren't headed to a janitor's closet. Not that it would be a _bad_ thing, but she had been wanting some time to herself. She had asked him for a couple days of alone time from the daily recess _"meetings"_ they had. She wanted some time to monologue about her feelings or come up with a poem or two. Any privacy was better than _none_. It was limited where she was staying.

They had done _so_ much in the last month, except for sex. Foreplay wasn't new anymore, just the _places_ they got together to do it. They went to the park at sunset at night, his sauna after the boarders were asleep, even the Sunset Arms _rooftop_! It was a _miracle_ nobody in the boarding house knew what they were doing. If they _did_ know, they didn't ask. The two of them had _one_ rule about all the physical stuff, and that was _not_ to get _caught_ _._

Helga snuck behind some trash cans. She ducked and pulled out her locket. She smiled admirably at the new picture in front of her, the one that was taken right before Christmas last year: Arnold had his arm around her with a soft smile on his face and she looked surprised. A Christmas present she would cherish for the rest of her life. She let out a love-sick sigh, and then blinked rapidly. She glanced around to make sure nobody was watching her. It was _one_ thing that the class knew she loved Arnold. She didn't need them to know she was _obsessed_ with him. When she knew she was safe, she started her speech,

"Oh, Arnold! My little Football-Headed Love God. My flaxen-haired angel, my muse and passion, my _inspiration._ For the first time in my eleven years of existence, you _finally_ returned your love for me. You know _exactly_ where to touch me. Not just my body, but my entire _being._ My intense heart beats for you, my darling. My girlhood _trembles_ with every thought of you I have, my love." She sighed as she looked down at her locket, "I've got everything I've ever wanted, but something's _incomplete._ Oh sure, I have your kisses and hugs and soft tender touches, which I wouldn't trade for _anything_ because it's proof of your _love_ for me! But... I keep feeling that we're going too fast, that we're losing control of what's real and what's fantasy. That these feelings aren't all _love_ , but somehow _lust_. I could spend all _day_ wrapped up in your loving embrace, but those are just bottled sexual emotions, not words of compassion. I need to hear you _confess_ the words to me, not just _show_ them. I need your lips to speak the words I've so long pined for. The words that you've shown with your physical actions. Your unconditional love for me! Oh, Arnold!" She kissed the picture of her boyfriend on her locket. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching her. She thought it was Brainy, so she suited up "old Betsy" to hit him with punch number twenty-three that year. When she didn't hear breathing, she raised an eyebrow in confusion. She turned around to glance out of the middle of the two trash cans, to see who was walking over to her. There was no one. Where were the footsteps coming from?

She felt one hand grab her left arm and one cover her mouth. She was about to scream, until she heard a familiar voice. "Shh," her boyfriend hushed her from behind, "It's okay, it's just me _._ I wanted to see you."

"What the-" as he let go, she turned around to see Arnold. Her heart was beating rapidly. Her left hand was over her chest in surprise.

Arnold grabbed her left hand with his right hand to pull it away from her chest. He tilted his body forward as she tilted her lips to meet his. It was one of the gentlest kisses they had ever shared together.

He hesitantly broke the kiss and took her arms in his hands gently. He whispered, "I'm sorry, Helga. I wouldn't bother you in your time alone, but I can't stop thinking about how it would feel to have my _mouth_ on you." With those thoughts, he claimed her lips again. This time he slowly deepened his kiss to French her.

Before things went _any_ further, she broke the kiss to ask, "Why are we kissing behind trash cans? Did you forget the class _knows_ we're in a relationship now?"

His hands went up to hold her shoulders. He was trying to control himself, but it was more difficult each time, "That's not what I'm talking about. Sure, I want to kiss your lips, but I also want to kiss you more, uh, _directly?"_

"You're speaking Greek, Bucko. _What_ are you trying to say?" She gasped as he pushed her against the ground to meet her lips heatedly.

The more they made out, the less he could control himself. He broke the kiss to whisper, "Please, let me take things to another level. I don't think anybody will see us behind these trash cans."

She was shaking from nerves and excitement, "Are you _serious?! Anybody_ could just walk right over here and..." She groaned as he put his fingers inside her underwear to find her slick seam, already wet. "Oh crap," she gasped as her body reacted to his touch. It didn't matter that they were outside, she didn't want to stop.

"You were _saying?"_ he moved his fingers over her gently, knowing _exactly_ what would excite her most. He didn't want to stop, _ever_ , "I just need you to do this. You need to _let_ me do this. I haven't been able to get it off my mind all day. Let me go _down_ on you. I won't hurt you, I promise. I just want to _taste_ you."

She gasped. The more they did stuff, the dirtier he talked, "We... we can't do this _here!"_ She breathed harshly as she tried to speak, "It needs to be somewhere _private_ where we can lock the _doors!_ You _can't_ just _take me_ on the school playgrounds! We could get in _trouble_ ," she groaned. Her body was twitching against her words.

He managed to stop himself from fingering her. He held his head against her upper chest, whispering desperately, "I can't wait that long-"

"-well, you're going to have to _try,_ unless you want us to be _expelled!"_ She gasped as his fingers went inside of her vagina again. He was getting _so_ good at it, _so_ familiar with all of her _hot spots._ She gasped, she couldn't _think._ "Come on, Arnold. Stop! _Focus!"_

The more he played with her, the more _wet_ she got. He was beyond wanting to focus on anything else, "Mm, listen, do you remember where that Home Economics class is that you told me about a couple of months ago?"

"How can I _forget!?_ I still remember you groping my breasts in the pool control panel."

He didn't stop playing with her _button_. The memories of Sex Ed were too much for him to handle, "Okay, we can go _there_. I don't think it's _too_ far away from the playground."

"Do you even know what you're _doing_ anymore, Hair-boy? You're losing control of yourself here!" she exasperated, gasping as he continued to play with her.

He finally pulled his hands from her _hot spot_ with a groan. He got up off the ground and held his left hand down to help her up. He didn't want to stop foreplay just to go somewhere _else,_ but he knew they had to _._

After she was on her feet, she said to him, "I hate to be the reasonable one for once, but how are we _not_ going to get _caught?"_

He whispered in her right ear with his eyes narrowed, "We won't get _caught,_ if you can be _quiet,"_ she bit her lip nervously and the sight was too much for him. He met her lips to give her a quick kiss. He tried to straighten his clothes to look less disheveled, but it wasn't working. He had been turned on for _days._ He decided it was best to leave the playground quickly, so that he could start touching her as soon as possible. He grabbed her left hand to walk quickly inside the building. He said to her, "When we get in the classroom, find a table quick. We don't have much time and I have _a lot_ I want to do to you."

Her body was shaking at she snuck in the empty classroom and Arnold shut the door behind them. There were no desks for her to choose from, only tables and stoves for cooking. Where would they _do_ this...?

He wasted _no_ time getting started. He took her shoulders and backed her up on top of a cooking table, by the stove and top cabinet. He pulled her underwear down swiftly before her butt sat on the table. He put her underwear in his pants pocket. She whispered to him, blushing, "Holy _crap_. How do you even _know_ what you're _doing!?"_ She shivered with want, even more excited than before.

" _Mm_... Health books help a _whole_ lot. Now, I just got to figure out what nerve is going to feel the best when I _taste_ it." He got on his knees in front of her, _completely_ lost in the moment as he looked at her _girlhood_ in front of his face.

"Taste it? You can't seriously take things _that_ far, Football Head, I-" After those words, he used his tongue to probe the center of her, stopping her protests. She threw her head back in pleasure, "Ooh, god... I don't think I can be quiet enough for this!" _Kiss me, touch me! Do anything but leave me hanging...!_

"Shh," he came up for a minute, narrowing his eyes at her and whispering in her right ear with precaution. "You're going to have to be quiet, or I'm going to have to stop."

She whispered back, "If you stop now, I'm going to _massacre_ you..." she breathed, shamelessly pushing his head back down to her sex.

"Then..." he felt his _own_ body shiver with _want_ as her girlhood came into his view again. He took a deep breath to focus, not sure if he was talking to her or himself, "Just take a _deep_ breath and let me do my work."

"Work? What do you... God, Arnold!" Her entire body shook as he began lapping at her. She banged her head against the cabinet above her as she held his head against her core. Shouldn't the cabinet have _hurt_ her? She was _too_ high on the feelings her body was experiencing for the first time to _care._

"Mm... _whoa_." He stopped tasting her a moment to say, " _God_ , you're wet."

"Don't you _dare_ stop now!" She breathed harshly, leaning her head back in pleasure and holding back a moan of pleasure the best she could.

He mumbled, "Wouldn't if I could at this point..." he brought his tongue from the bottom of her slit all the way to her engorged clitoris _,_ and _that's_ when she finished. Her thighs bucked against him in an eruption of sticky wetness.

After tasting _all_ of her, he got up to look into her eyes and gave her a kiss on the lips. Her eyes widened when he started to French her. He tasted just like... like, _her._ She broke the kiss with a gasp as she looked at his satisfied expression, "Did you just _swallow_ that!? Holy _crap,_ Arnold!" She was beginning to feel turned on all over again.

"I couldn't _help_ it, Helga! I couldn't stop _thinking_ about it all _day!_ I didn't think I could _last_ until we got to Mighty Pete or the Safe House." He pulled her off the table to devour her lips again.

She groaned in his mouth, positively drooling. The mere _thought_ that Arnold had just "drank her essence" was wiping out all other coherent thoughts. She didn't hear the bell that rang for class to start in five minutes. She was too focused on tongue wrestling to care. She slowly brought her hands down to his lower back to squeeze. He shuddered against her and she could _feel_ his length shaking against her as he moaned in her mouth. There was a clearly painful erection blooming inside of his pants. Oh, yes. She was ready to return the favor, alright, licking her lips absentmindedly at the thought. She started to reach down and bring her hands to the front of him.

Suddenly, they both heard a gasp of shock and a "You've got to be _kidding_ me?" They both broke their kiss quickly and looked towards the door. Gerald and Phoebe were watching them in shock. Gerald was wide-eyed. Phoebe had her hand over her mouth in shock.

Helga whispered in fear, "What? You're supposed to be at _recess!"_

Arnold whispered to his girlfriend, "I thought we locked the door."

Gerald crossed his arms, "Well, _apparently_ you didn't."

Phoebe said to Arnold and Helga, "Recess ended three minutes ago. There's a home economics class coming in here."

Helga whispered, "You're _kidding_ me?"

Gerald said, "Do we _look_ like we're kidding you? Anyway, I suggest you guys get out of here if you _don't_ want people seeing you making out behind unlocked doors."

Arnold breathed, still out of breath, "Exactly _how_ much did you both see?"

Gerald put his hands on his hips, "Enough to wish Phoebe had a neuralizer to use on me to forget it."

Phoebe hit her boyfriend's arm with her elbow, "Oh, Gerald. As their best friends, we should be _helping_ them, not _hindering_ them. Helga, come with me. We can walk opposite of Arnold and Gerald, so nobody suspects anything." She used her left hand to motion her best friend over to her. They walked out of the room and down the right side of the hallway.

Gerald was staring at his best friend questionably. He motioned toward the door with his left hand, where his girlfriend and her best friend just walked out, "Care to explain what all of _that_ was about?"

Arnold rubbed his arm as they walked out of the room and to the _left,_ "I don't know where to start-"

"-Well maybe _I_ do. I've noticed you leaving every day at recess. You're a different person in class. Half of the time you're not even _there,_ physically _or_ mentally. You're getting yourself in deep, buddy. If something ends up happening and she ends it with you, you're going to be worse off than you were the _first_ time. I'm trying to look out for you when I say this: slow it down before you get your heart shattered in a million pieces," Gerald looked down at Arnold's pants, "And also, I would _really_ take care of that before class if you don't want to be teased by the other guys. Calm yourself down! Don't let your hormones control you!" _You're going to end up as broken as Jamie-o if you keep_ _this_ _up, Arnold._

Arnold looked down, now noticing that he was _still_ turned on. He tried to pull his shirt down to hide it, but it was pointless. At least he had an excuse to _"take care"_ of himself, "Um, on that note, we'll talk about all of this later. Okay?" He started off towards the bathroom and away from his best friend.

Gerald yelled to him across the hallway, "Hey, wait a minute. You _still_ haven't told me what's going on. Why are you keeping secrets from me again? We're _supposed_ to be _best friends!"_

Arnold heard him but didn't reply. It wasn't the _first_ time he thought he might be going in over his head with his physical relationship with Helga, but he didn't know _how_ to stop.

Did he...?

* * *

As they walked to class, Phoebe whispered to her best friend, "How did you get him to make out with you again?"

Helga stopped walking and raised an eyebrow, "First of all, Phoebs, how much did you see?"

Phoebe said, "Gerald and I were looking for you before recess let out. We haven't seen either of you outside lately for it. I happened to glance inside the classroom to see Arnold pull you from the table and start kissing you. That's when Gerald and I walked in." Helga breathed a sigh of relief, until Phoebe asked, "What happened before that? Have you both been kissing a lot?"

Helga pulled at her collar, "That's, uh, not important."

Phoebe looked away sadly a moment as they both started walking again, "I would like to know what you're doing to get Arnold's attention. Gerald doesn't want to do anything physical with me except light kissing, and our nine-month anniversary is on Tuesday."

Helga blinked and stopped walking before they entered the classroom. She put her left hand on her hip, "Are you saying Gerald's never touched you or Frenched you before?"

Phoebe looked up, concerned, "Is that normal?"

"Criminy, that's the furthest _thing_ from normal." Helga rolled her eyes before putting her right hand on her best friend's left shoulder, "You sure that Gerald-o wants to be with you? He was smooth with all the ladies a couple _years_ ago, I don't get why he wouldn't be _all over_ you by now. Does he have another one on the side? Something's going on, Phoebs. Maybe the passion's gone from the relationship."

Phoebe sighed, "Maybe so. I was afraid that something could be wrong. I feel as though we're drifting apart."

Helga couldn't help but laugh, thinking about her current relationship with Arnold, "Football Head and I are doing more at _five_ months than you guys are doing at _nine_ months _._ You're going _way_ too slow. I think you need to sit down and talk with him, find out what his _deal_ is, and tell him you want the goods. You're missing out on _a lot_ of stuff, Phoebs."

"I am?"

Helga nodded as they walked in the class together, " _Sure_ you are! You _can't_ have a relationship without all the physical stuff. How do you expect it to work?" She was explaining things as she understood them.

Phoebe sighed, believing it was true, "I suppose we _are_ due for a talk..."

"Oh, and Phoebe," Helga glanced at her sideways.

"Yes."

"This conversation and everything you saw in that room? It never happened."

"Right. "

* * *

 **Tuesday, March 15th...**

Phoebe answered the door for her boyfriend, giving him a weak smile, "Hey, Gerald. Thank you for stopping over this afternoon."

Gerald looked a little concerned, "No problem, Baby. You told me you wanted me here at your house on our nine-month anniversary, that's March 15th. I would _never_ forget the day we got together in June last year, a week after school ended. Anyway, what's wrong? You seem a bit out of it lately." He blinked, seeming to think of something, "You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

As she let her boyfriend inside the house, she reassured him, "I'm not breaking up with you. I just decided that while my parents are on vacation that it would be a good opportunity for us to talk. A lot of things have been on my mind."

Gerald raised an eyebrow at her as he sat down on her living room couch, "What _kind_ of things? Are you _sure_ everything's okay with us? You've been acting really odd lately."

Phoebe sighed, realizing that she needed to be honest with him in their relationship _now_ more than _ever_ , even if it hurt. She sat down on the couch, on the left of him. Her hands were clamped together nervously between her, "Actually, Gerald. There _has_ been something that's been bothering me lately, but I wasn't sure how to address it to you."

Gerald put his left arm over her shoulders, "Well then, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong. You know you can talk to me about anything, right? We're closer than my _family_ these days. I feel like I know everything _about_ you."

Phoebe looked in her boyfriend's eyes, "I suppose we _are_ a bit closer than we were back in June, but I feel as if our relationship is at a standstill. We haven't done nearly as much as most people who've been together for nine months. Sure, we hold hands and hug, and I certainly enjoy our deep conversations and all the movies that we go to together."

Gerald raised an eyebrow, "Then what's the problem? I think our relationship is going pretty good if you ask me."

"But we don't French kiss. You don't touch me. It's only mere touches on the shoulders or holding my hands when we're walking to school. I feel like we're going too slow, that we're missing out on a lot of things that other couples our age do."

Gerald took his left arm off her shoulders, " _What_ couples our age? Harold and Rhonda broke up a month ago over something stupid, and Arnold and Helga are obviously going _way_ too fast. Speaking of Arnold and Helga, this isn't about _them,_ is it? Just because they're further along than _we_ are doesn't mean they're doing it _right._ I think my man is crazy. Can't really say anything about Helga, because I don't know. I don't think Arnold's thinking straight, though. It's not _like_ him to leap into a relationship like this," he paused a moment as he thought about it **.** "Well, maybe it _is_ , but he's going to end up getting his heart broken if they keep going so fast. It's only a matter of time before she starts using him."

Phoebe was curious at that point, "What do you mean? Helga would _never_ use Arnold. Wouldn't their physical relationship make their connection stronger? Why does getting more physical always have to be a _bad_ thing? We don't have to get deeply intimate like our best friends, but I wouldn't mind being Frenched occasionally."

Gerald sighed, now a little nervous to talk with Phoebe about what _he_ was thinking, "Never mind, baby. It's not important."

She said, "I can tell there's something you're holding back, and I would like to know what it is. There's some reason you're afraid to get too close to me. I care about you deeply and I want you to be my one and only. We _can't_ start keeping these secrets from each other and expect us to work out."

Gerald sighed, taking Phoebe's left hand in his right hand. He looked into her eyes intensely, "I guess... I guess I would be lying if I told you there wasn't something I'm worried about. You're a kissable girl, Phoebe, and I wouldn't mind spending _all_ of my time making out with a beautiful person like you, but I'm afraid I'm going to ruin what we have going for us."

Phoebe let go of his hand, "What are you talking about? How would you ruin our relationship by being more physical?"

Gerald sighed as he got up off the couch and stepped away. He began his story, "Do you remember meeting my brother Jamie-o the last time he visited my parent's house?"

Phoebe nodded, wondering where her boyfriend was going with this.

Gerald fidgeted with his hands in front of him nervously as he continued speaking, "I remember when he began dating at fourteen. All his relationships went fast, but the _last_ two relationships were the _worst_. I mean, not only did I see him crying over a _sock,_ but the girls he dated took complete _advantage_ of him. Usually I would ignore it and say he got what's coming to him because of the way he's treated me in the past, but each time I couldn't do that. He was literally torn into _pieces_ over his last one. As soon as he began a sexual relationship with the woman, she left. It was almost like all she _wanted_ from him was sex. She didn't want anything but him _physically._ I don't know if it has anything to do with his high **-** maintenance workout or his bodybuilding schedule, but I've noticed each time that's all they want once they get it. Sex. I still remember Charice as clear as day. She took all his stuff and spent all his money. She even made him do all her laundry and chores. She had him wrapped around her fingers. Things were just _fine_ before they became physical, but once the physical stuff came in, their relationship went downhill. He's warned me this year not to make the same mistakes he's made, and because of what I've seen in his relationships, I believe him. I've always prided myself on making the right decisions like Arnold _used_ to do, and _this_ time is no exception. I don't want my heart to end up thrown on the curb like his. I'm not saying you would leave me if we got closer, but I think we need a more well-developed relationship before starting the physical stuff. I don't want to _lose_ you, Phoebe. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Phoebe sighed, still not understanding. She walked over to him and put her right arm over his shoulders as she said, "If I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you, why can't we move forward? I want you to take the risk with me. I would _never_ break your heart the way those women broke your brother's heart. Our relationship is a _different_ relationship. It doesn't mean we're going to go down the same pathway."

Gerald closed his eyes. Just thinking of the possibilities of things failing discouraged him, "I'd rather not take the risk in our relationship. We're only _eleven_ now. We have all our _lives_ to start a physical relationship. Right now, I want us to learn the basics."

"I feel as if we already know the basics, and I feel as if you don't really care for me. Are your feelings merely platonic?" she looked down sadly.

Gerald said, "Platonic? My feelings for you haven't been platonic since fourth grade when we went on The Love Boat together. You've got to understand that I want what's best for _us."_

Phoebe leaned into him, trying to kiss him, "What if what's _best_ for us is to have a deeper connection? I don't want our feelings for each other to fade out."

Gerald grabbed Phoebe's shoulders and pushed her away slightly. He looked at her with fear more than anything, "Phoebe, _no!_ Don't be _forceful_ about this. Let things happen during their own time. We will start a physical relationship, trust me on that, just not right now." _Why can't she understand that I want what's best for_ _us_ _? That just because our best friends are further along than us doesn't mean they're making the right choices. They're making the_ _wrong_ _decisions and ruining their_ _lives_ _in the long run. They're going to end up hurting each other and_ _themselves_ _, and I don't want that for us..._

Phoebe looked away, completely hurt. She couldn't even _kiss_ Gerald at this point without him pushing her away. Why was he refusing her affections? _I feel as though he doesn't like me, that I'm only there in his life as a placeholder. I feel as soon as he finds a more compatible woman, I'll be gone from his life. There's no_ _passion_ _in our relationship. There's nothing to keep the feelings_ _alive_ _. I don't want to lose you forever, Gerald. Why can't you understand that...?_

Phoebe thought a moment, her mind daydreaming...

.

 _Gerald and her were sitting in her living room, watching the television. They were eighty one years old. The television and the couch were the_ _only_ _things they had left. Her parents and Gerald's were_ _long_ _gone, and they didn't have any kids of their own._

 _Across the street, her best friend and Arnold were holding two great-grandchildren. Arnold and Helga kissed each other with a smile on their faces at what life had given them._

 _Phoebe cautiously walked over to the window with a cane in her left hand, glancing outside at the couple that had been together since 6th grade. She scowled back at her boyfriend of seventy years. She scolded him weakly as she slowly made her way back to the couch, "So? You_ _still_ _wanna wait? When are you going to start a physical relationship with me, you old Hag? Our best friends have great-grandchildren now, and we_ _still_ _haven't had sex."_

 _Gerald coughed harshly as he tried to explain to her for the millionth time, "Phoebe, you_ _know_ _I love you, but we both know the time isn't right! You've got to be_ _patient_ _! Jamie-o was_ _never_ _patient, and he ended up divorced_ _five times_ _!"_

 _"I don't know_ _why_ _I'm still your girlfriend. It's looks like that's_ _all_ _I'm ever going to be." she sighed sadly, starting to cry._

 _._

Phoebe turned away, soft tears were falling down her eyes, thinking about her potential future with Gerald...

* * *

 **Thursday, March 17th...**

The bell for the end of the school day rang. It was Thursday afternoon as Helga made her way to her locker to pick up the rest of her stuff. She didn't see her boyfriend, but figured he was in the bathroom " _taking care of himself_ " so she decided to use the time to focus on her thoughts. She couldn't _believe_ how primal her boyfriend had gotten, but she wasn't complaining. Most of the time when they were together all they did was make out. He even set _code_ words for them when they were in school or had the chance at being caught. As she opened her locker, she saw a white envelope drop to the floor with nothing but her first name on it. She recognized the handwriting immediately, it was _Arnold's_. She raised an eyebrow. _Why would Football Head put an envelope in my locker instead of just_ _talk_ _to me?_

She opened the envelope and pulled out a handwritten letter. She tried to think if it was close to their anniversary or if there were any holidays coming up, but she couldn't think of _any._ She read it, curiously.

 _Helga,_

 _It's Arnold. I guess you're probably wondering why I dropped a letter off in your locker. Well, I had some things I wanted to say to you privately, but I knew if we were together, I would mess up on the words. I can't seem to speak what I want to say to you without physically reacting, and that's not me._

 _I really need to talk with you about some important things. I would like us to meet on Friday afternoon after school at Mighty Pete. I've been asking the guys and nobody's going to be there tomorrow. It would be the perfect opportunity to "discuss" what I needed to with you. This is nothing serious, trust me. These are just some things I need to get off my chest._

 _Your boyfriend,_

 _Arnold_

Helga smirked to herself after she read his letter. _"Discuss"? "Mighty Pete"?_ Oh yes, he wanted to make out with her. She would make the _private_ session at _Mighty Pete_ a _discussion_ he would remember...

* * *

 **Friday, March 18th...**

Helga cornered Arnold that Friday afternoon at Mighty Pete. She was slowly backing him up into a corner of the room. They were on the second floor of the treehouse.

He tried to explain his reasons to her, not his _sexual ways._ For some reason, she was confused, "Helga, the note I gave to you yesterday had _nothing_ to do with making out today. I wasn't planning on _taking_ you in the tree-house. I was planning on _talking_ with you here. Please, let's talk first about everything, rationally."

Helga wouldn't listen to reason. She backed him up into a wall that was beside the door that led upstairs. She said, "Rationally? You want to talk _rationally?_ Ha! Football Head, don't you think after two and a half months of foreplay, I _know_ you by now? Half of the time you use _keywords_ so that the adults or the teachers don't catch on to us. Fat chance that I'm letting you talk yourself out of _this_ one. Obviously, you wanted me to _'take care of you'_ since I haven't done it for who the heck knows _how_ long. Why _else_ would you leave a note inside of my locker instead of talking with me directly?" She grabbed his shoulders, leaning in to kiss him.

To her _complete_ shock, Arnold grabbed her shoulders and stopped her. He was out of breath just _thinking_ about being so close to her. He wanted her, but he needed to _resist,_ " _Please_ , I don't know how much longer I can hold back. The note wasn't about finding a private place for us to _do_ stuff. I wanted to talk about the stuff we've _been_ doing. Something has been wrong with my mind lately. I think you would agree."

She growled as she leaned towards him, "The only thing _wrong_ is that your backing away instead of _'giving in'._ Come on, who says I don't want _Dark Arnold_ to come out and play today? Who says I don't want him to _'come'_ , period?" Her lips met his and her tongue licked his lips desperately for entrance.

He opened his mouth to her, turned on and unable to keep resisting her advances. He groaned as he felt her wet tongue stroking his, back and forth. It was making his body want to be stroked as well, but he _had_ to try to think logically. It was _so_ difficult with the many naughty thoughts running through his head all the time. He _barely_ managed to break the kiss, "Mm _. Stop! Please!_ You've _got_ to stop kissing me. I can barely _think_ straight!"

She blinked in shock. She could feel his length pressing again her dress and his face was sweating. Why didn't he want to show his love for her anymore? "Why don't you want to make out with me?! You _know_ I'm not going to hurt you."

He groaned, feeling his body twitch with _want_ against her _,_ "Oh, Helga, you know I _want_ to. I can't exactly _lie_ about it, but I'm trying to resist doing this and _do the right thing._ I don't want to do something we're both going to regret in the morning, and it's getting harder to control myself each day."

Helga couldn't _believe_ it, was he _finally_ starting to get his head on straight? Why after two and a half months was he _finally_ telling her this!? "What?! You've got to be _kidding_ me! You wait until we're deep into this physical thing to tell me _this?_ Where the heck is this _coming_ from?! A couple weeks ago, you didn't have a problem 'taking' me in the Home Economics class. What about all our Safehouse trips and times in the Janitor's closet? Have you forgotten what we've _done?!"_

Arnold couldn't help but groan as he felt his body shudder at the reminder of past pleasures. Why was it he wanted to do " _the right thing",_ but his body was refusing to listen? He whispered to her, "I've got to... I've got to do _something_ about this problem, but I don't know _what,"_ he leaned his head against the top of her chest, turned on and frustrated. Maybe resisting wasn't the right thing to do anymore. It was obvious he couldn't stop himself.

She knew _exactly_ what would _"loosen him up",_ and she leaned back to reach her right hand down to touch his _member_ through his pants. "Oh, I can _feel_ what the problem is right now."

He moaned deep in his throat and as he opened his mouth to gasp in pleasure, she Frenched him as she played with his _"member"._ Their tongues dueled against each other, _both_ fighting for dominance. He said to her, desperately, "Don't stop, _please._ We'll talk later!"

She had to smirk at his words, now _this_ was the Arnold she had come to _know_ the last couple of months. She teased him, "Huh? What's _this?_ I thought you just told me to _stop_ a couple minutes ago. Did you change your mind _already?"_ She could feel the heat of him in her hands, twitching and pulsing.

He said, heatedly, "Can you get me off?"

She misunderstood him again, and said, "I'm not getting _off_ you, Hair-boy. You can _forget_ it!"

He groaned, pulling her right hand toward the head of his _"member",_ where he was leaking fluid _already_. His girlfriend gasped in surprise as he spoke, "No, that's... ugh... not what I meant." _If she keeps going, I'm going to finish before I can ask her to_ _take_ _me...!_

She started stroking him rougher, "Quit resisting and tell me what you _want_ already!"

He begged, out of breath, "Go down on me, _please?_ Just this _once?_ You're driving me _crazy!_ I need some... I need some sort of release!"

Helga blinked twice, completely shocked at his words. He had _never_ asked her to go down on _him_ before. Whoa... And here she was thinking he was _resisting_ her. He was more sexually frustrated than she _thought._ She took her right hand out of his pants with a protesting groan from him. She asked, "What brought _this_ on? One minute you're telling me to _stop,_ the next you want me to go _down_ on you?"

He grabbed her right hand to pull it back toward his member, the place where it belonged, " _Please,_ Helga?I really came here to start _talking,_ not to _finish_ , but right now, I can't focus on anything else! Give me release and _then_ we can go in the back and talk about stuff. You have no _clue_ how long I've been turned on," he groaned. He was _sweating._ His heart was beating _wildly._ Trying to resist something he _couldn't_ was driving him _insane._

Helga took her hand out of his pants again and her boyfriend groaned in frustration, leaning his head on her chest. She knew his past morals too well, so she asked to be sure, "Are you _sure_ you want me to do this? I can get you off if you don't want to go _that_ deep. This is going _halfway,_ you know?"

He grabbed both of her hands to place them on his hips. He whispered, "I've already went _halfway_ with _you._ I want you to do the same to _me._ Release me from these chains, _please!"_

Helga slowly pulled his pants off, and then helped him to pull his underwear off. His underwear was damp from being turned on, and it turned _her_ on just watching the effect she had on him. She could feel _her_ underwear becoming damp. He threw his shirt across the room; his chest and face were _sweating._ She got down on her knees to look closely at his member, not knowing where to start and incredibly nervous with tasting him for the first time. Would he taste good or bad? Would she be able to swallow what he released? He was leaking more fluid and just as erect as the _last_ time she'd seen him up close. She didn't know if she was being cautious, or just teasing him endlessly by speaking, but she whispered, "You _really_ want me to put my mouth on you?"

He whimpered, "Yes, _please?_ I _need_ you, Helga."

Watching him beg was the _last_ straw. She slowly opened her mouth to take him in, little by little.

He gasped as he felt himself _twitch_ in her mouth, probably to get closer to the back of her throat. He could hardly _think. Whoa..._ This was _so_ much different than just receiving her _touch_. He felt like he could explode at the slightest movement from her tongue, which was currently lapping at the head of him. He whispered to her, admitting, "This isn't going to take any time at all," he gasped, trying to catch his breath as his hips thrusted toward her, "I'm sorry. I… I can't take it...! I don't think I'm even going to last another minute." He admitted, feeling his body shudder without his permission again. He pulled her head deeper on his _"member",_ so she could devour _all_ of him. He didn't have control of his actions anymore.

After going all the way down on him, she broke the contact with his member to cough a bit in shock. He was _bitter_. More stuff was coming out of him. She got control of herself before asking, "Does that mean you're _close?"_ She devoured him once more, not waiting for a response. He was _salty_ , yet kind of _sweet._ God, was he getting _bigger_ in her mouth? She wanted to take in every bit of him, to feel his release, to try to swallow every _drop._

To him, it was pure _paradise_ , but why was she pulling back? He begged her, "Mm, deeper, _please!"_ As her mouth went all the way down on him again, _finally_ , he groaned, "I'm about to finish. Don't let go, mmm!" He shuddered desperately.

With those words, she felt him shake inside of her mouth, and then tasted something even _more_ bitter than his " _pre-_ release _"_. She tried to swallow it, she _really_ did, but it was so _bitter._ After the first few swallows, she began to start coughing violently. She had to let go of his member as he twitched a _fifth_ time.

He was almost finished releasing when she started coughing, and he sunk to the ground in total exhaustion. Naturally, he was worried she was choking. With a gasp, he twitched once more. He asked her worried, "Are you... okay?" He was out of breath, "Was it... really that... bad?" he groaned as he gave into complete exhaustion. He leaned his head back against the wall, out of breath.

As she stopped coughing as harshly, she looked at him in surprise, "I was planning on swallowing it _all,_ but _criminy_ , that was _a lot_ more bitter than I expected. What the heck does that stuff _have_ in it?"

He blushed, still breathing heavy, "I don't... know. I've never... tasted myself before... but do you think... you'd ever get used to it...?"

She stared in shock, "It felt _that_ good?" _Well, I guess if something I do makes him feel_ _that_ _good, I can keep doing it, right? I just got to get used to the taste of him. How the heck does he_ _release_ _so much all the time? Isn't it average for a guy to release two or three times instead of six or seven?_ She wondered curiously.

He said to her, "It felt _so_ good, especially when you went all the way down. I've never felt something so... _intense!_ How did you move your _mouth_ like that?"

She blushed, "I, uh, was reacting to what I felt your body liked, I guess. I'm as new at this as _you_ are."

As she walked over to sit on the right of him on the floor, he turned to her, "Give me a couple minutes before we talk, all right? I want to be thinking logically, and my mind is a little unfocused."

She couldn't help her sarcasm as she sat down, " _Really,_ Hair-boy? _Wow._ From the way you've been _breathing_ and _talking_ to me, I would have had _no_ idea!"

Knowing his girlfriend's sarcasm throughout the years, he could only chuckle, "Sorry for being so forward. It was more overwhelming than I thought. It was better than _foreplay."_

She said to him, "I get it, Bucko. Don't worry, we'll do it again someday."

He breathed a sigh of relief as he sunk down further to lay on the floor. He was completely exhausted but satisfied. Helga sunk down beside him, happy that he was relaxed for once. They both turned to look at each other with a soft gaze, and then smiled understandably.

Arnold asked gently, "Did you want a turn?"

She shrugged lightly, "Maybe later. You wore me out, Hair-boy. I think I had an orgasm just _watching_ you _."_

He didn't know if she was being sarcastic or serious, but he laughed as he grabbed her left hand and placed it in his right one. When she looked into his eyes, he smiled and squeezed her hand gently. He said, "Thank you, I needed that. I don't know what I'd do without you in my life."

Her eyes lit up as she showed him a rare smile, "That means a lot to me, Arnold. It really does. There's not a lot of people that value my _existence."_

He said, "If they don't see what a wonderful treasure you are, it's _their_ loss. Just know that you're important to me, even if I can't say the words yet."

She said, "No doubt in my mind about _that,_ Shortman. Now, what the _heck_ were you going to talk to me about earlier that was so important?"

She didn't think such simple words would cause his face to suddenly look so sad, especially after such an intense orgasm. He let go of her hand to place both of his hands on his stomach. He looked away from her. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, "I really don't know where to start."

She suggested, "Maybe at the beginning? It must have been important enough for you to write a _letter_ about it."

He nodded, "It _was_ important, but lately my mind has been playing _tricks_ on me. Sometimes I'm not sure what matters and what doesn't. Do you know what I mean?"

She said, "No clue what you're talking about."

He stood up from the ground, walking over to grab his shirt and putting on his underwear and pants. He walked over to her and held out his right hand to help her off the ground. She grabbed his hand with her left hand. He pointed towards the back room with his left hand. He said, "Let's go upstairs. Nobody will see us and there's a lock on the door."

That was when she looked at the open area around them, did they _just_ do what they did in plain sight?! _Anybody_ could have walked in and _seen_ them! She tried to explain in words what she was thinking to her boyfriend, but was having trouble, "Football Head, we... uh."

He looked across to see the outside ladder where they walked in. He realized what she was about to say. He whispered, "I'm sorry about that. I lost control of myself for a couple minutes. I've been doing that a lot lately. Come on, let's go in the back and talk about all of this."

* * *

The private room all the way upstairs wasn't a place they had been often. The small wooden door led to a ladder that took them upstairs to one mini **-** bed with a small television and a wooden nightstand on the left of the bed. It was small enough for somebody who wanted to be left alone to sleep or to think. It was _perfect_ for the two of them to talk about something privately.

Helga locked the mini **-** door after she got off the ladder. She laid to the left of Arnold on the mini **-** bed, "So, what's up? Why the concern?"

He sighed as he rolled on his left side to look at her face. He looked into her eyes deeply, "I feel _really_ bad because of what I've been doing, but I don't know how to stop. I didn't realize the consequences of my actions."

Helga rolled on her right side to stare at him, confused, " _What_ in the world are you talking about? If you're _so_ worried about being physical, I already _told_ you I'm not angry about-"

"-This is about more than being physical. In a matter of a couple months, half of our innocence is _gone_ because of me. Even though oral sex isn't _intercourse_ , it's _still_ a form of _sex."_

Helga blinked as she realized he was _right,_ but how was he finding out all of _this_ stuff? She never told him oral sex was sex. From what she remembered, a couple months ago he was _very_ innocent. He didn't know a _thing_ about sex. He was using terms now that _she_ didn't even understand and using them with _ease._ She could see the distraught look in his eyes and reached out to grab his right hand to entwine it with her left. As he looked in her eyes unsure, she said, softly, "Is _that_ why you're so concerned? You're worried you're _taking_ something from me? You're not _taking_ anything from me if I'm willingly _giving_ it to you. It's not like we're having _intercourse._ We're not going to go ' _all the way_ ' right now. We're just learning stuff and enjoying each other's bodies. Simple, right?" It was _then_ she realized he was taking the whole world on his shoulders once again instead of being a preteen himself. What was _wrong_ with him...?

He pursed his lips as he whispered, "It's not simple when I've been thinking of having sex with you all the time."

She was surprised, but she wasn't sure _why._ They had been doing _a lot_ of intimate stuff lately, so it was no _wonder_ he thought about them having sex together. She chalked it up as regular " _teenage hormones_ " and just shrugged, " _Big-deal._ You're _twelve_. I can't expect you _not_ to think about having sex with me. We're living together and sharing the same bed, so of _course_ you're going to want to _screw_ me."

He winced at the term " _screw_ " and sighed, "I'm worried I'm going to take it _that_ far one day. I've been getting myself off _at least_ five times every day and it doesn't take care of it. Ten minutes later, I'm turned on again. I'm fighting this need a lot more than you think. This can't be normal to feel this way all the time."

She laughed at what he admitted to her, "I _guess_ that might be a little bit weird, but you're going through _puberty_. What do you _expect?"_

He let go of her hand that was entwined around his, "What about how much I release when I orgasm?"

She shrugged and sat up from the bed, "Maybe for _some_ guys it's _normal._ Come on, Arnold. You're worrying over nothing but regular 't _eenage hormones_ '. Just learn to control yourself. See? Problem solved."

Arnold paused a moment, before remembering something Helga brought up to him in Sex Ed two months ago. He continued, "What about not having a _reset_ time? As soon as I release, I'm ready to go again. This is _every time_."

 _Those_ words got his girlfriend's attention, "Hmm, I've got to admit, that is a _little_ strange. Our health book says men have a reset time. You _don't?"_

He shook his head and sat up beside her, "I know I've said this before, but I'm _serious_ about this. I think something's wrong with me. I don't think it's just typical teenage hormones. My body has _never_ reacted like this before."

She put her left hand on her chin as she thought a moment, "You got me _there,_ Hair-boy, but I wouldn't know _where_ to start. When did you start feeling like this?"

He said, "Do you mean when we started doing physical stuff, or when I started feeling like this _before_ the physical stuff?"

" _Way_ before then, Arnold. When did you _first_ start feeling odd?"

Arnold had to think a little before coming up with an answer. He said, "I guess it was around my twelfth birthday. I started to feel more tense around people. I became restless and my sleeping was disturbed. I remember waking up _so_ many times at three in the morning for no reason, even when I wasn't dreaming about my parents leaving."

Her eyes widened, "Back in _October?_ For crying out loud, Arnoldo. How am I supposed to remember what happened five months ago?!"

He said, "I don't think it was _that_ long ago," he smiled as he remembered **.** "It was on my birthday you became my girlfriend."

"Your birthday. October 7th. Right. Like I could forget _that."_ She thought a moment as she tried to remember what happened in early October. The _last_ thing she wanted to think about was her entire world falling apart…

 _Hmm, let's see... the month Olga got engaged again, my father left the family, my mother checked into the hospital from an overdose on smoothies, I updated my love shrine, I cast a tantric spell on Arnold, I moved in with Phoe-_

She blinked, and then blinked again. _What_ did she just remember?! She turned to look into Arnold's eyes. His pupils were dilated, otherwise he seemed calm. Taking a glance downward, she noticed he was turned on _again_. She put two and two together and gasped with a shocked whisper. Her hand went over her mouth, "Oh, crap."

Noticing Helga's intense look at him and her shocked expression, he sat up quickly and grabbed her shoulders, "What is it? Helga, you figured it out, didn't you? There's _really_ something wrong with me, isn't there?!"

Helga mumbled absent-mindedly as she looked away, embarrassed, "Ooh, there's something _wrong_ with you all right-"

"-Then, _tell_ me, Helga! I _need_ to know!" He shook her shoulders, worried.

She spoke nonchalantly. She continued to look away, "You don't need to know about this. It's not _that_ big of a deal. I'm sure it will wear off... eventually," she blushed.

His eyes widened. Her words only made him _more_ curious, " _What_ will wear off eventually? You've _got_ to tell me what's going on! You can't _keep_ something like this from me, especially if it has to do with our relationship. Let me know what's going on!"

She growled, grabbing his shoulders and looking into his eyes intensely, "Oh, for crying out loud. You want to know what's wrong with you? Fine, I'll _tell_ you what's wrong. I put a tantric _spell_ on you, Football Head! Do you know what _tantric_ spells are? _Sex_ spells?! _That's_ what's wrong with you!"

He grabbed his chest in shock, feeling nervous and concerned. He gulped as he asked her softly, "Why would you _do_ that to me?"

She threw up her hands in defeat, "Oh, _I don't know_ , Arnoldo. You've given me everything I've wanted _since!"_

He was feeling _turned on_ just _thinking_ about it, "Are you trying to tell me that the reason I've been on edge all the time is because you put a spell on me?" With an embarrassed nod from his girlfriend, he asked, "Is there _any way_ to reverse it?"

She gulped, wondering herself, "I got the powders from Madame Blanche. She _has_ to know _something!"_

"Do you know if she's open on weekends?"

Helga remembered her store hours from the many visits she paid her the last few years, "She's open tomorrow."

He said, "When she opens, let's pay her a visit. We need the spell to be reversed so that I can get back to who I _used_ to be, and not sexually frustrated like this. I'm _sure_ there's a way..."

* * *

 **Saturday, March 19th…**

Madame Blanche's words to the two kids stood firm, "No, no, and _no."_

Arnold and Helga both stared at Madame Blanche _completely_ stunned.

Helga dropped to her knees. She started to cry and begged her, " _Please_ , Madame Blanche! There _must_ be _something_ that can reverse this thing! Isn't there _some_ sort of reverse spell?!"

Madame Blanche sighed. Didn't these kids recognize a _tantric spell_ wasn't something to play with? Even the packets Helga purchased back in October _warned_ against being able to break the sex spell, "I'm afraid not."

Helga got off the ground and pointed at Madam Blanche with her finger and remarked, "If _this_ is your way just to get your ten bucks, it's not happening, Lady. When I took one of your love potions two years ago, you gave me _grape juice_. How do I know this whole spell thing isn't fake?"

"Because _I_ wasn't the one to mix the ingredients together. _You_ were the one to follow the instructions on the packets you purchased. Believe me, if I could stop a bunch of preteens from having _sex,_ I would. Just the thought of it is _sickening._ What are you both? Nine? Ten?"

Helga growled, why could _nobody_ get her age right!? "I'm eleven, Lady!"

Arnold spoke up, "And _I'm_ twelve."

Madame Blanche sighed and walked over to pick up the two Tantra packets that Helga purchased five months ago. She walked back over to the two preteens and read the warnings on the back of one of the packets, "This fire of love powder you purchased warns against using more than the required amount. Only use one fourth of the packet when using this incense and do not mix multiple packs. Do not use any more than one incense stick. The more powder you use, the stronger the spell will be. _Warning:_ this spell _cannot_ be broken unless the one you love does _exactly_ what you asked for in the spell. There is no reverse method to tantric spells. The _only_ way for it to be broken is for it to wear off."

Helga used the _whole_ packet, not _one fourth_ of it. Why didn't she read the directions?! She thought the whole packet was _fine_ to use, let alone the two she _did_ use. Black magic wasn't _that_ dangerous, was it? She had been putting tantric spells on Arnold for _years._ Helga said to Madam Blanche, "When will the spell wear off?!"

Madame Blanche read the back of the packet again, "The spell will wear off when what is _required_ of it is done, or the tantric spell is brought to _completion."_

Arnold raised an eyebrow, "Brought to _completion._ How is the spell finally made complete?"

The older lady said nonchalantly, "You would have to have _sex_ , of course. A tantric spell is a _sexual_ spell. Unless it is brought around full circle, it doesn't wear off."

Arnold and Helga simultaneously yelled _, "What?!"_

"Yes," she said. "If you don't believe what I'm saying, read the back of the packets for yourselves." She passed the yellow one to Arnold and the red one to Helga.

As Helga read the back of the red packet, her face grew more and more dismayed. She looked at Arnold despairingly, "I can't _believe_ this, Arnold. She's _right!"_

After Arnold read the back of the yellow packet, he was shaking. Sure, he wanted to have _sex,_ but he didn't want a _kid_ yet. _I can't_ _do_ _this to her! She's only eleven years old and she gets her_ _period_ _! If we used protection, she could_ _still_ _get pregnant by me. And what would we do if she got pregnant? We're not even teenagers! We can't raise a child!_ He looked at his girlfriend for help, "If you can remember what you wanted me to do when you cast the spell, maybe I could do it and the spell would _stop!"_

Helga yelled at him, "Don't you think if I _remembered_ what I wanted you to do, I would have _told_ you to do it?! I can't remember what I said five months ago when you've given me everything already?!"

He could _feel_ the effects of the spell, somewhat _stronger._ He felt himself shudder. Despite not wanting to " _complete"_ the spell, he still wanted to have sex. If he could calm his hormones down,he would have _nothing_ to worry about. He whispered to his girlfriend in fear, "This isn't good."

Madame Blanche said, "Now, is that it? Do you guys _believe_ me now? At the very least, _this_ should teach you young children _not_ to mess with tantric spells."

Helga rolled her eyes, "Oh, don't give me _that_ , Lady. You'd _gladly_ accept another ten bucks from me if I did it again, and _don't_ you deny it. You had no _problem_ with me purchasing those tantric packets last October!"

Arnold mentioned, "You _also_ gave me and Gerald an Anti-Bad Luck kit for ten bucks."

Helga said, "So now what? That's all we can _do?_ Figure out what _he_ needs to do for the spell to stop, _or_ have sex?"

Madam Blanche nodded, "Yes, that's all you can do-Oh, and _pay me ten bucks_."

Helga rolled her eyes and whispered, "Why me?" just as Arnold pulled out some money to hand to her.

He said, "Thank you, anyway. I guess we'll have to figure out what to do on our own."

Helga turned to him as they walked out of the shop that morning, "Arnold, _please._ She already _told_ us what we must do!You _have_ to have _sex_ with me." She shivered in _fear_ at the thought _._ She was worried about that first time. She had heard from Olga recently that it was also concerned about getting pregnant and raising a child. She wasn't _ready_ for a child at _eleven years old!_

He sighed,"I know, but there _has_ to be something else we can do."

She said, "Well, let's go home and talk about it."

* * *

 **Later that night at 8 PM…**

Arnold and Helga sat on the bed in his room. They were both upset and disturbed at what Madam Blanche told them. Arnold was trying to figure out some way to go without " _completing_ " the spell despite his strong sex drive. Helga was wondering how her life would be once Arnold knocked her up before she was even a _teenager_. How would she raise children still being a kid herself? Would they end up as messed up as she was?

Arnold looked at his girlfriend sadly, "It's getting late. Why don't you head to bed? I'm going to go up to the rooftop to think."

She raised an eyebrow, "Is to _think_ supposed to be a _code_ for something else, or are you really going to think?"

He sighed, a little upset she would think that he wanted to _do stuff_ with her now, "No, it isn't a _code_. I'm going to try to think of a solution." He got up from sitting down, walked on his bed over to the ladder, and walked up to the roof top.

Helga sat by herself a few minutes before going up to the rooftop. As soon as she got to the rooftop, she saw her boyfriend sitting down at the table in the middle of it. He looked _completely_ hopeless. She approached him, sitting on his left, "Come on, Arnold. If we're in a relationship, we've _got_ to talk about this stuff together. You can't just talk this out _with yourself!"_

He looked at her with a scowl. He wanted time alone to think and she couldn't even give him _that._ Why did she _always_ have to put him through tough times?

Helga scowled back and accused him, "Hey, don't look at me like that. If you would have just _done_ what I said in October, you wouldn't even be suffering!"

Arnold crossed his arms and raised his voice, "Oh? So, you're blaming _me_ for a spell that _you_ cast? Don't you think that's a little backwards? Casting that spell was one of the _worst_ things you could have done to me. Forget all the pranks that you've pulled on me throughout the years. That was _nothing_ compared to _this!_ Why would you cast a _spell_ on me?! Why would you cast a spell on _anyone?!_ I thought you had more _compassion_ than that!"

She started to raise her voice as well, " _Compassion?_ That has _nothing_ to do with this! Apparently, I wanted something from you that you weren't willing to give me-!"

"- oh, so putting a _spell_ on me was the logical thing to do about it? Why couldn't you just _tell_ me what you wanted? I'm _so_ disappointed in you."

"What? You got to be _kidding_ me! How was _I_ supposed to know the spell would affect you _this_ much?! I did one on you in 4th grade and it didn't affect you like _this!"_

He was having trouble controlling his temper. After hearing _that_ , he was angrier with her than before, "So, you're telling me that you _also_ put a tantric spell on me when we were in _fourth grade?_ Helga, _why?! Why_ would you do something like that to somebody you _supposedly_ love?"

"What do you mean _supposedly_ love?"

Arnold sighed, "A person that loves somebody wouldn't do this to them. I've been trying for _weeks_ to focus on something other than _sex_ , but I can't. The only solution I can come up with is to _resist_ the temptation. We _can't_ have a physical relationship while this spell is affecting me _._ I won't be able to resist , the spell will wear off soon. It's probably a good idea for me to sleep on the red couch as well. Yes, I realize my Grandma _still_ has her pets running around the boarding house, but I don't need to lose control of myself one morning and get you pregnant," he looked at her, disappointed **.** _All because of a spell. My feelings are all lust. I've never loved you this whole time._

His solution didn't set well with her, "What? You're saying your solution is to stop being physical with me? You mean to tell me besides not being able to _speak_ the words, you're not going to _show_ them, either?!"

He stood up and walked away, embarrassed, " _Maybe_ we need to take a break from this relationship thing."

She got up as well, walking over to him, "You're breaking up with me? I should have figured you were just _using_ me this whole time. You've _never_ really loved me, have you? Not only can't you say the words, but you don't want to be physical, either!"

Arnold turned to her, and growled, "You know I _want_ to be with you physically. _That's_ the whole problem! If I was to break up with you, it wouldn't be because I _wanted_ to!"

Helga yelled at him, "Then why _resist_ it?! Do you _have_ to be like a typical guy and have sex _every time_ we touch each other?! Don't you care enough about me when we're touching to hold yourself back from having sex?! You just want to cut _everything_ out, don't you?! You're not willing to make the sacrifice and take the risks for me, are you?! You just want to shoot _straight_ towards the goal, huh?!" _Of course, he's going to leave like everyone else has. No_ _wonder_ _I can't change my ways. I have nobody to change them for!_

He yelled at her, "I _can't_ stop once we get to a certain time we get closer to having sex, and the temptation is getting stronger each day. The _only_ way I know I can resist is to say no _entirely,"_ He scowled at her. _You can't_ _blame_ _me for this, Helga. This is_ _your_ _fault for putting a spell on me! We would be just_ _fine_ _if you left me alone and let me do what you wanted me to do in my_ _own_ _time. Why can't she understand my struggle?! She just doesn't get it, does she?!_

She rolled her eyes, "Well, I guess you _really_ don't have feelings for me if you're going to be like _that!"_

He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, looking away, "Maybe I _don't!_ Maybe _you_ don't have feelings for _me_ if you're going to put a spell on me against my will!"

She was hurt and angry after he said _that,_ "Is that what you _really_ think? That we don't have feelings for each other after everything we've been through?!"

He simply said, "You know what? _Don't_ talk to me! I need to figure this out on my own, and I don't need negative influences like _you_ trying to bring me back down!" It was getting darker outside as it started to rain. Not looking back, he walked down the fire escape and away from the boarding house, trying to clear his head.

It started pouring down rain as he left her outside on the rooftop, all by herself. She was all alone in the world. She could feel the tears falling down her eyes mixing with the rain falling on her face. He _never_ loved her, he only wanted her _body_. She should've known it.

She was _completely_ broken. There was no point for her to go on. Was _this_ what rock bottom felt like?


	13. Chapter 13: The Hole in His Heart

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. _This_ chapter is rated **M** for heavy conflict and sexual situations. You have been warned.

* * *

 **Reviews:  
The J.A.M: **Phoebe and Gerald's problem doesn't get resolved for awhile, but things will get better. Helga doesn't know how to stop her aggressive behavior, and unfortunately, she is continuing to lash out at Arnold. Arnold gets her back in this one, you could say. Thanks for the review.  
 **ForeverRogue:** Glad you liked the sex scenes, and yup, you're the first one to get it, and thanks for the review! Things will get better, I promise.  
 **Yali Page:** Testosterone is going to affect Arnold _a lot_ in this chapter. And yes, he needs to say those three words. Thanks for the review.  
 **Echopapa:** Thank you! I was looking forward to playing the tantric spell bit out, and it's going to be awhile before Arnold can say the words, but that's what he has to do. Thanks for the review.  
 **Timewarp123:** You're right! Thanks for the review.  
 **Kryten:** You are _so_ right. Thanks for the review.  
 **Guest: (June 4th)** You've got it! Thanks for the review.  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thank you! And you're right! Gerald and Phoebe do get some help by the end of the story. Thanks for the review.  
 **Guest: (June 5th)** Yeah, Arnold's still a sex freak in this chapter, and I'll be adding more with other characters like Miriam, Olga, Phoebe and Gerald a bit later on. Thanks for the review.  
 **Ezza:** You're right! Things kind of hit rock bottom in this chapter, but they will get better. Thanks for the review.  
 **Houkanno Yuuhou:** Rock bottom? Helga goes even _lower_ in this one, and Arnold goes with her. I can't _wait_ to see what I inspire you to write, and I'm going to be talking a look at the Pataki Press and I'll let you know. ;) Wow, for using the word _clit,_ good grief lol. I haven't read the Pataki Press in _years._ Thanks for the review!  
 **LayLion4869:** Thank you! Enjoy this fix, and get your tissues! XD  
 **CoolGirl-Pataki:** I know I responded to you personally, but I also wanted to thank you again for your long review. I love it when people enjoy my writing. I take a lot of time putting everything together, and the detailed reviews are very inspiring. Hope you like this one, it's a bit sad, but hopefully not _too_ predictable. Number 15 on your list _isn't_ the guilt, get tissue before reading!  
 **Thatamosgirl:** This chapter is even more insane, plus another emotional rollercoaster. Helga goes further down rock bottom, but Arnold goes with her. Things will get better I can promise you that, but right now, it's rather sad. Thanks for the review.  
 **The Wasp1995:** You're right, and he can only express his affections physically yup. It's a huge problem in this chapter. Also, more risk taking. Yes, _more_ risk taking than the last chapter. I take a lot of risks lol they're in character though. Thanks for the review!  
 **L E Yet:** I might have made Arnold a bit too mean at the end, although his testosterone levels are off the chart. I'll look back at that later. They're not going to break up, but it's close in this chapter. Helga is going to take awhile before she realizes that actions speak louder than words sometimes. Thanks for the review!  
 **Guest: (June 15th and 16th)** I'm taking a guess you're the same person on these two dates. Arnold and Helga didn't break up with each other, but because they thought they broke up, it was so in their minds at the time. No, technically they both only _thought_ the other broke up with them. I did it like that because of Arnold telling his family he wasn't in a relationship with Helga. I needed to for later chapters nobody in the Boarding House knows they're in a relationship. Plus Phoebe and Arnold's talk was important concerning the breakup they both thought happened, because Phoebe would have _never_ told Arnold Helga's whereabouts without it. She was hoping to keep Helga's life private to gain her friendship back, but when she heard Arnold was in a relationship with her previously, she changed her mind and decided he deserved to know. Basically did it to develop plot later on. I'll have to look back at Arnold and Olga's argument to see what you mean. I haven't read that part back yet, but if something's off, I'll fix it. As for Mai? That might be correct. I wrote it like that in this chapter and I'll later correct it in the others. Even Microsoft Word doesn't catch _all_ the spelling errors. Thanks for the review!

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The Hole in His Heart**

 _ **Sunday March 20th…**_

Arnold felt _hopeless._ It didn't matter how much he wanted to change or avoid getting Helga pregnant. He had avoided _"taking care of himself"_ for one day and the naughty thoughts didn't _stop._ He didn't know if it was the effects of the spell or his hormones. Whatever it was, it was _strong._ Even distracting himself didn't do any good. His body was exhausted, and so was his mind. He was tired from fighting the effects of a tantric spell he was powerless to stop.

Arnold and Helga were both working on homework that evening. He was sitting on his bed with his knees up and a notebook in his lap, trying to relax. She was at the computer, typing a paper up.

There was a knock on the door before it was opened. Phil Shortman walked over to Arnold's bed with oatmeal raisin cookies on a white plate, "Hey, Shortman. Your Grandmother made cookies tonight. They're oatmeal raisin, mm. Want one?" he put the cookies in front of his Grandson's face, tempting him to grab a couple.

Arnold sighed. He wasn't in the mood to eat. His body ached, and he was depressed. He replied, bitterly, "I can't eat anything, Grandpa."

Helga could only sigh as she listened to her boyfriend's words. She knew why he wasn't eating. He was upset because of everything that happened that weekend. She felt awful because she knew there was nothing she could do. If she could only _remember_ what she had asked for in the spell she cast on him, it would be reversed.

Phil noticed his grandson had been in a bad mood all day, and it wasn't any better that night. He seemed to notice the tension in the room between the two preteens as well. He calmly turned to Helga to ask, "Helga, can you go downstairs for a few minutes while I talk with Arnold?"

She shrugged, "Sure, what the hey." And walked out.

With Phil's full attention, Arnold looked away in embarrassment. He groaned, saying simply, "Grandpa, I have a problem."

Phil walked over to sit beside him on the bed. He put the plate on his bedside stand, and said, "Let me guess, your girlfriend moved in with you when your whole family thought you were just friends. She saw the snake and bat that Pookie has living here, and you both decided to sleep together on your bed. You guys started fighting all the time because you couldn't agree about _anything._ Then, you went to sex **-** ed class and started to develop sexual feelings for her that you can't seem to get rid of no matter how hard you try. Now, you're stuck in a physical relationship that nobody knows about that you can't get out of."

Arnold blinked in shock and then collapsed against the bed with a sigh, "You're going to throw her out, aren't you?"

"Now, Shortman. Why would I do a thing like that?"

Arnold said, "Because we shouldn't be having a physical relationship at our age. I know you don't approve of us doing, uh, stuff like this, but I don't know how to stop. I don't know what the right thing to do is because if I throw her out she'll be homeless, but if I keep her here, I'm afraid I'll go too far one day."

Phil thought a moment, "Hmm. This reminds me of something that happened when I was sixteen, Shortman. Gertie ended up putting a physical spell on me, all because I was paying attention to other girls and not her."

That seemed to get Arnold's attention, "She put a spell on you? You mean like a sexual spell? Wow, that's, uh," he didn't want to reveal what Helga did, "very similar to what I'm going through. What did you do about it?"

Phil said, "Well, I already liked her as a person, so a little bit of time with her and we were married. One of the best decisions I've made in my life. Your Grandmother is a wonderful woman, Shortman. One of the worst tricks she ever played on me though. Grade school with Gertie was _easy_ compared to that."

Arnold admitted, "So, you guys got married, but Helga and I _can't_ get married, we're too young. Besides I don't know if I can live with her the rest of my life. She isn't exactly an easy person to live with." he looked away, "I'm not very good at solving my own problems, so what should I do about this, Grandpa? Should I work through this, or throw her out?"

Phil said, "Can't help you there, Arnold. Sometimes you have to solve your problems by yourself. You're _twelve_ now. You're not always going to have me or your Grandmother to lean on. I think this is a good opportunity for you to figure out what to do."

Arnold sighed, " _What?_ But Grandpa, I need some _real_ help with this!"

Phil said, "Well, you've definitely got a problem on your hands, then, Arnold. You're lucky me and your Grandma can read between the lines. Your parents and the boarders didn't know you were facing these problems, only us. We may be old, Arnold, but we're not brain dead. We weren't born yesterday, we were born the day after. Your parents, on the other hand, well, I think they still think you're a little kid. The _last_ thing on their minds is that you're thinking of doing physical stuff with Helga."

Arnold looked down, "I'm sorry, Grandpa. I was never planning on feeling this way."

Phil sighed, "Don't worry, it's normal to have sexual feelings for your girlfriend. It was bound to happen someday, but I didn't think it would start before you turned sixteen. I guess if you can drive my Packard at nine, you can make a decision like this at twelve." He started to walk out, turning around briefly to say, "Speaking of which, these are for you," he threw him a rectangular box that Arnold caught and looked at curiously. The last thing he expected to see was a box of _condoms_ in his hands. He blinked as he looked back at his Grandpa, and a blush made its way across his face. His Grandpa continued speaking, "Starting April 8th, your grandmother and I and all the borders are going away to Casa Paradiso in Florida for a seven-day vacation. Your parents are bringing in enough money for us to treat ourselves. You and Helga are responsible for watching all of Pookie's pets, since we can't hire somebody to keep an eye on her snake. Speaking of snakes, remember to wear a rubber, Arnold. We don't need any more tenants right now, we don't have the space."

Arnold blushed darkly, "Grandpa, _seriously?_ I'm... I'm _twelve!_ Have you _forgotten_ that? And... are you actually encouraging me to... _to...?"_ he couldn't finish his sentence, shocked. He blushed deeper as he thought about it.

"You've always taken the world on your shoulders, Shortman. It's not a surprise you're thinking about this kind of stuff at your age. You've saved the neighborhood, your parents, and did countless more things to help others. You've behaved like a mature person and had to solve mature problems for a long time. Maybe it's not unreasonable for you to get a mature _reward_ ," he chuckled evilly.

Arnold's eyes widened, thinking about it, yet trying _not_ to think about it. He sighed again, feeling _more_ sexually frustrated. He said, "You're not going to tell my _parents_ or the _boarders_ about any of this, are you?"

"This is _your_ problem to work out on your own. I don't think your parents knowing what you're going through will solve _anything._ You're like a moth to a flame right now, Shortman. At least the moth can put on a fire-retardant suit. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go see a man about a horse. I think your Grandma put _raspberries_ in those cookies. Oh, my stomach."

"But, _Grandpa!"_

"Make the right choice, Shortman! Wrap it before you tap it!"

"But I—"

His Grandpa ran out of his room and Arnold sighed.

He didn't know whether he was relieved his parents wouldn't find out or worried about solving the problem on his own. Why did his grandparents and the boarders treat him like he was an _adult?_ He was only _twelve!_ He couldn't solve this problem on his own, could he?

* * *

 _ **Monday, March 21st…**_

Gerald sat next to Arnold on the bus that afternoon, feeling hopeful, "Hey Arnold. Do you think that you could help me out with a problem?"

Arnold sighed at his best friend's words, _Another person, another problem. This is_ _every day_ _. Why do my friends think I'm not their age?_ He said, "No Gerald, I _can't_ help you with your problems when I have problems of my _own_ to work out."

"Don't tell me your psychotic girlfriend put you up to _this_ again. You're too busy helping everyone else to have many problems of your own."

 _Great. Now Gerald doesn't think I have my_ _own_ _problems._ Arnold growled, turning to him, "I _do_ have problems, Gerald. I'm not perfect. Can't you solve what you're struggling with on your own? You're getting to be old enough to work through them by yourself, right? I mean, you're almost _twelve."_

Gerald rubbed his arm, nervously, "Well, the problem isn't just _me,_ it's me and my girlfriend. Come on, man. You're always helping people out. Ever since you and Helga got together in October, you've changed."

Arnold was getting annoyed from him putting down his girlfriend, "So, you're thinking my attitude is all _Helga's_ fault now?"

"I know she's been driving you crazy," he admitted, "but you don't have to take it out on everyone else. Why don't you just—"

"—Just _what? What_ is your advice on how I should solve what Helga is doing to me? Let me guess, you're going to tell me to throw her out, right? Or maybe you want me to _break up_ with her like you told me to do before. Why don't _I_ tell _you_ that _you_ should break up with _your_ girlfriend as advice?"

"I can't break up with my girlfriend over a simple problem!"

"Then why would you tell _me_ to breakup _with mine?!_ "

"Arnold I..." Gerald sighed before he said, "I don't know what's gotten you in such a bad mood, but I sure hope that you straighten it out. I can't even _talk_ to you when you're like this. You've been biting everybody's head off all day for no reason at all. You're going to end up losing more than just your relationship with Helga; you're going to lose our friendship. I'm not saying it's going to be all _Helga's_ fault either."

"Gerald, _shut-up!"_

"Fine, I'll leave you alone. Come talk to me when you stop being so crappy." He got up from his seat to sit by himself on the bus.

Phoebe watched him from a distance and sighed, feeling even _more_ rejected.

* * *

 _ **Tuesday, March 22nd…**_

It was three days of pure _torture_ for Arnold. No _"taking care of himself"_ and no release. He was _still_ turned on all day. He wasn't eating, and he was depressed.

Helga went upstairs to the bedroom after eating dinner with the boarders. She raised an eyebrow as she shut the door and turned to Arnold. He was laying on his bed, covered up with all his bed sheets over him. She said, "What's your problem _now_ and why aren't you eating? Are you fasting or something?"

Arnold groaned, pulling the covers away to glance at his girlfriend, "I think you _know_ what my problem is, and I _don't_ want to talk about it."

Helga rolled her eyes, still standing up, "Cripes, Arnold. Are you going to continue treating everybody like crap all because your hot and bothered? I mean, what has it been since you _'took care of yourself'_ , three days? If _this_ is how you're going to act after _three days,_ how are you going to be after a _week?_ Forget about avoiding _all_ the physical stuff. Just go to the bathroom and touch yourself until you feel better. Maybe you'll stop being such a pain to be around." She thought, _He's not even the same person when we're not doing sexual stuff. Come on, Arnold. Snap out of this already! Go back to the boy you used to be!_

Arnold peaked his head out from the covers to scowl at her, "If I start doing _that_ again, I'm going to want to do _more_ than that. My bad mood isn't just because of the spell, Helga. It's everything you do to me! It's everything _everybody_ does to me! I'm only _twelve_ , and I could _swear_ everybody thinks I'm twenty-two. _Can't_ you guys let me be a kid? _Why_ do I have to be the only responsible one in the boarding house? _Why_ do I have to solve _all_ the problems in the world?! For one solitary moment, _can't_ I go without everybody expecting me to solve their problems?!"

Helga's face softened at his heartbreaking words. She _tried_ to be gentle as she sat across from him on the bed, "I'm taking it the talk with your Grandpa didn't go so hot, did it? What kind of advice did he offer for your moral dilemma _this_ time? Let me guess: never eat raspberries?"

Arnold sat up, snapping at her, " _Why_ are we even talking? I thought I told you to stay away from me until this spell is over. Did you _want_ to get pregnant? I'm absolutely _sick_ and _tired_ of everyone—!"

There was a light knock on his door that caused him to stop speaking. Both preteens looked at the door in curiosity, wondering who it could be.

Arnold sighed, "Come in!"

Miles and Stella walked in with sad smiles on their faces. Miles said, "Hey, Sport, I've noticed you've been feeling under the weather lately. Anything you want to talk about, son?"

Arnold looked away, not wanting to bring it up, "No, nothing important."

Stella said, "I'm sure there's something we can do to help. I know being in the sixth grade can cause a lot of stress. Next year, you'll be in middle school. It's no _wonder_ your struggling with your hormones right now."

Helga and Arnold glanced at each other in surprise. Did they _know...?_

Helga gulped, "I guess you're going to throw me out then, huh? It's not like this whole thing isn't _my_ fault." She thought _, I might as well pack my bags up. They don't want me here, nobody wants me, not even Arnold wants me anymore._

Miles glanced at her, "Arnold's problems aren't _your_ problems, Helga. If you continue getting along with everyone like you have, there's no need for you to leave."

Stella put her right hand on Helga's shoulder, "Sweetie, the _last_ thing we want is for you to be homeless."

Helga was even _more_ suspicious. She raised an eyebrow at Stella, "What's your angle?"

Arnold was confused too, "Wait a minute, what _exactly_ do you guys think is wrong with me?"

Miles said, "It's obvious that this is a difficult transition period in your life right now, son."

Stella sat up and looked at her son, "And also, this is the time that you start going through mood swings related to puberty."

Miles nodded at his wife before turning to his son again, "But don't worry, Arnold. Puberty, mood swings, and stress are normal at your age."

Helga put her left hand up to stop them from speaking, "Hold up a second. Do you guys _really_ think that puberty is _all_ his problem is? That he's in a bad mood because of _stress?"_ Helga thought _, Stress in his_ _body_ _if you ask me. Man, these guys are clueless. They_ _really_ _don't see him as a twelve-year-old, do they?_

Miles continued excitedly, "And _that's_ why me and your Mother decided to use a day of our vacation to take you to the _petting zoo!"_

Stella said excitedly, "And the _circus!_ You can take off this Friday, we'll write you an excuse for Mr. Frank. You're going to love _it_. A whole day spent with us, looking at all the cute animals and petting them, and getting on all the rides and seeing the clowns!"

Miles said, "It will surely relax you and take that bad mood of yours out the door. It will turn that frown _upside down_ and put a happy smile on your face."

Helga said, "Do you guys _really_ think that the petting zoo is going to take away his _'problem'? Please,_ if you were even a _little_ bit more observant, you'd see that your help is use—"

"—Helga _, shut up!"_ Arnold scowled at her.

Helga looked at him in shock, "But, Arnold. You're not _five!_ How is _that_ going to cure your—"

"—Stay out of this!" Arnold was angry, but managed to think, _Please, Helga? You're going to end up getting yourself thrown out and I don't want that! Even despite my problems._

Helga blinked, not saying another word. She had despair in her eyes and felt so sad, _I guess you want to cut me out of your life too. I'm just trying to help you, Arnold! Don't you care about that? Don't you care about_ _me_ _anymore?!_

Arnold replied cautiously to his parents, not wanting to raise suspicion of what his _real_ problem was, "Wow, Mom and Dad, thanks. That sure is generous of you guys." He thought, _Great, the petting zoo_ _and_ _the circus. Not only do my grandparents treat me like an_ _adult_ _, but my parents think I'm a little_ _kid_ _. Doesn't_ _anybody_ _recognize that I'm in the middle? That I'm not five or twenty-two, but twelve?!'_ He sighed, _Well, maybe if I look on the bright side, things will get better. Maybe all of this will average out. What's the average of twenty-two and five? Grr, I can't even_ _think_ _straight! I_ _really_ _need to try and relax before I have another embarrassing wet dream, but how do I get my body to calm down without_ _doing_ _anything about it?_

Stella kissed her son, "I love you, Arnold. Get some rest, Sweetie."

Miles said, "And don't worry about a thing. Everything will be alright, son." He gave him a hug.

Arnold tried to seem happier with his words, even though he wasn't, "Goodnight, Mom. Goodnight, Dad."

With that, his parents walked out, pleased with themselves for being able to help their son.

Helga turned to Arnold and raised her left hand towards the door, "So, you're just going to let that go? Do you _really_ think that Friday's trip is going to help you?"

Arnold sighed, trying to be nicer, "It will be _fine_ , Helga. They're my parents. They know what's best for me." He turned away sadly and thought, _I've got to keep looking on the bright side. I need to be thankful that I have them_ _back_ _in my life, not expect them to be_ _perfect_ _. They're not going to be perfect parents. I guess it won't be the greatest thing in the world to go to the circus, or the petting zoo, or any other places they take me, but at least I'll have them around._

Helga laughed, "Sure, Bucko. Whatever you say."

Arnold sighed, _And I_ _guess_ _I need to be thankful that Helga risked her secret to save them, even though she put a spell on me._ He felt his member twitch in his pants and he groaned in annoyance. The pressure was getting _worse,_ not _better_. Would he be able to get _any_ sleep that night? It wouldn't be much of a difference if he couldn't sleep. He hadn't slept much in the last three nights.

* * *

 _ **Friday, March 25th…**_

Arnold was _fed up. Six_ days of no sexual stuff, and _now_ he was stuck at the circus.

Stella was holding Arnold's left hand and Miles was holding Arnold's right. Arnold had just gotten off one of the _kiddie_ rides. He felt embarrassed walking around the circus holding his parent's hands. He knew the younger kids were giving him weird looks with each ride he got on. He even saw a couple of them snicker at him and point. He sighed as he tried to focus on having a good time. Things couldn't get _any_ worse, could they?

Stella pointed over to the clowns, "Oh, look there, Sweetie! It looks like they have a clown performing tricks over there. Maybe you'll be able to get a free balloon!"

Miles let go of Arnold's hand. He bent down and hit his son's left arm playfully, "Come on, son. Let's go see the clowns!"

Arnold stopped them, "Mom, Dad, I don't know if that's _such_ a good idea. I mean, the kids over there are _a lot_ younger than I am, and I don't think they're looking for children my age."

Miles said, "Nonsense, Sport. You're still a young kid, aren't you?"

Stella smiled, "Yes, Sweetie. You haven't grown up _that_ much since we've been gone."

Arnold sighed as they made their way over to the clown, who was currently making animals out of balloons and smiling at all the little kids that were watching. The little kids were laughing and clapping their hands. Arnold just looked at the clown bored. He had watched that same clown doing tricks at Rhonda's birthday party when he was five.

Miles said, "Look at the way he _does_ that, Sport! Isn't that _amazing?!"_

Arnold groaned, "Yeah, that's... _that's_ amazing." He had felt like he hit the lowest low. He was even more depressed than he was at _home._

Stella smiled excitedly, "Look, Arnold. The clown is walking over to us!"

Arnold watched the clown for a second before walking over to him as well. The male clown asked him curiously, "How old are you, little boy?"

Arnold gulped, "Uh, twelve and a half?"

The clown could only frown back. The little kids who were listening to Arnold started laughing hysterically. The clown asked him gently so that only _he_ could hear, "Don't you think you're a little _old_ to be watching a clown making funny faces and doing tricks with balloons?"

Arnold whispered, "No kid is too old to see a clown, right?" He tried to sound convincing, because his two parents were right behind him and he didn't want to disappoint them.

The clown just looked at him with a frown and _continued_ to watch him with a frown after him and his parents grabbed a seat. As the clown performed other tricks for the little kids around Arnold, he sighed and put his head in his two hands. It was obvious even the _clown_ thought he was too old. Why couldn't his _parents?_

* * *

 _ **Later that day…**_

Arnold was _trying_ to look on the bright side that afternoon. It was difficult with so much testosterone running through his system. It was _boring_ walking through the petting zoo, and his whole experience at the circus was _awful._ The rides were way too slow, and the clown _frowned_ at him the whole time.

Him and his parents already looked at the horses, the wild birds, and the whales. He had gone to the petting zoo on a second-grade field trip and the aquarium in the fourth grade, so it was nothing new to him. It reminded him of the _real_ zoo, and it was the _last_ place he wanted to be.

Stella suddenly picked him up to put him in her arms, "Gosh, you're getting _heavy,_ Arnold."

Miles laughed, touching his son's chin and squeezing it roughly, "That's all that cast-iron food his grandmother makes for him. He's growing up to be _quite_ the young man, isn't he?"

Arnold groaned. He was embarrassed being a twelve-year-old and in his mother's arms. He could _swear_ there were other kids younger than him pointing and laughing again, "Mom, can you _please_ put me down? This is a little _embarrassing."_

Stella smiled as she gently put him down. She raised her right hand up to point ahead, "Oh, would you look at that, Sweetie. They have the _goats_ out!"

Arnold looked up ahead. They all looked _angry_ for some reason, "They don't look very friendly. Maybe we should leave them alone today."

Miles said, "Don't worry, son. There's nothing to be afraid of. They're just regular animals like every other animal here."

As they walked over to the goats, Arnold couldn't help but notice a couple of them pawing at the ground and looking angrily at him. Why were they _angry_ at him? What did _he_ do?

A skinny teenage boy with black hair and brown eyes came out and said, "What's going on? These male goats aren't like this towards people. You didn't happen to throw any water on them, did you? They can't _stand_ that."

A male goat reached out its teeth and grabbed Arnold's shirt, pulling him towards him. As he bit off a small piece of his shirt, the other goats started pushing the fence with their heads and pawing the ground. They were trying to get out.

"Arnold!" Miles gasped, bringing his son off the ground and putting him in his arms, "I don't know _why_ they're reacting like this to him. We didn't give them any food or water."

Stella looked in her son's eyes, worried, "Arnold, Sweetie, are you all right?

Arnold tried to stay calm, but he was irritated with everything going on. The goat bit his shirt and now he was in his _father's_ arms, "No, he didn't hurt me. He just ripped off part of my shirt." _Please, can we just get out of here and can you put me down?!_

The teenage worker said, "I would stay away from the goats today. Apparently, there's something _he_ has on _him_ that they don't like." He pointed at Arnold.

Miles put Arnold down on the ground as they started to walk away from the goats.

Stella smiled and pointed at the sheep, "There's some sheep over there, Arnold. _They_ look nice and friendly. Why don't we go pet _them?"_

Arnold forced a smile, _Mom's right, they look friendly. I'm sure they'll let me pet them and all that's happened today will get better._ He cautiously made his way over, hoping not to have his shirt pulled again by one of the animals that were _supposed_ to be safe.

As he approached the sheep, he noticed something odd. Two of them seemed attracted to him for some reason. They smelled his shirt and looked into his eyes as if they were lovesick. Arnold looked at his mother who was walking over, "Mom, are you _sure_ there's nothing wrong with these sheep?" Arnold looked skeptically at the two female sheep that were smelling him. He noticed the other sheep in the back making _a lot_ of noise and staring him down angrily.

Miles spoke up, "Hmm, that's odd. What is wrong with all of these animals today?"

Arnold blinked as the females kept smelling him, "Wait a minute, are they… _attracted_ to me?"

Stella took Arnold's hand and led him away, not wanting her son to get hurt again, "Maybe being around the sheep isn't such a good idea. Let's try the llamas. Certainly, they will be _a lot_ friendlier than the goats or the sheep."

Miles sighed, "Let's hope so. There's something all these animals don't like about our son."

Arnold turned back to the sheep a bit angry and sad. He wanted the day to be over. _I'm starting to wonder if all these hormones I'm giving out are making all the animals around me go crazy. If_ _they_ _can't handle the hormones, how can I?_

As they approach the llamas, they seemed kind of friendly. Arnold chanced a smile and reached out to pet them. The _last_ thing he expected was one of them to _spit_ on him. After _that_ one spit, the other llamas started spitting on him.

Arnold growled, stomping away angrily. He just wanted to be by himself and left alone, _not_ with all these animals that seemed to _hate_ him for no reason.

Stella and Miles took a glance at each other, worried. Then, they ran over to Arnold to try to talk to him. Miles bent down to him, "Don't worry, Arnold. I'm sure this is just an off day for the animals. There's nothing that you did wrong."

Stella nodded, bending down as well, "Yeah, Sweetie. If you want, maybe we can come back here next weekend and we can just go out for ice cream tonight."

Arnold sighed, "No thanks. Listen, I appreciate the gesture, but I would like to go home right now. No ice cream, no cotton candy. I'm _tired_ from being out all day."

Stella and Miles looked at each other one more time before Miles replied, "Okay, son. If that's what you really want, we'll head home."

Stella said, "Hopefully this cheered you up a little bit, Sweetie. Now, I know some of the rides were a little bit slow, but it's better to be on something safe than on something that can hurt you. We don't want anything to happen to you. We've been away from you too long to take that risk."

Miles gave his son a hug, and smiled, "We _love_ you, Arnold."

Arnold sighed as he was hugged gently. They were his parents and they were _trying,_ they just didn't _know_ him. He said weakly, "I love you too."

The hole in his heart grew bigger from the emptiness inside of it.

* * *

 **Later that night… 11 PM…**

Arnold stomped in his room that night. As soon as his parents went to bed, he was ready to let loose his anger he'd been holding in _all day_ : Anger from his parents still thinking he was a _little kid,_ from his grandparents treating him like he was an _adult,_ and from Helga putting a spell on him in the _first_ place. That was _besides_ the fact he was six days into a spell with _no_ relief. Seeing his girlfriend did nothing but trigger even _more_ anger for what she had done. If it wasn't for _her,_ all the animals _might_ have acted _normally._

Helga stared at him as he got into bed and crawled on top of his covers. She was at his computer, typing up a paper. She was _still_ not used to him being in a bad mood all the time. She tried to start a conversation, "I'm guessing that the circus and the petting zoo didn't go as you planned, huh?"

He narrowed his eyes, " _Leave—me—alone._ "

She scowled as she got up, not wanting to be talked down to for no reason, "Hey, what gives?! _I_ sleep on the bed, not _you_. _You're_ supposed to take the couch and lately you've been stealing the bed! I haven't done _anything_ to you in six days. Heck, I haven't even _talked_ to you much lately at _your_ request, and you're treating me like crap!"

"—If I'm treating you badly, don't talk to me then. I don't feel like hearing your teasing, annoying, irritating, backbiting attitude."

"Hey. _Hey, hey, hey, hey! You're_ the one that has an attitude here, not _me._ You've had an attitude with me for almost a _week,_ and I've _already_ apologized about the spell and left _you_ alone!"

He sat up and looked at her irritated, " _What,_ Helga? _What_ is it that you want me to say?! Did you want me to tell you how _awful_ I feel that neither my parents _or_ my grandparents know what age I am? Or would you rather hear about my eventful day at the circus? Wonderful slow rides and a clown that didn't even _smile_ at me. Oh, or did I f _orget_ to tell you about the petting zoo? Not only could I _not_ pet any of the animals because they had an attitude toward me, but I was bitten on the shirt by a goat and spit at by llamas!"

Helga blinked a couple times in shock before sitting on his bed beside him, "Wow, that's uh, worse than I _thought_ it would be—"

"—And the _last_ thing I need is to come home with my hormones raging to see _you,_ in my room, yelling at me and driving me _insane._ The least I should have is a comfortable bed to sleep on while I'm resisting this spell. I can't _stand_ this! Do you _know_ what it feels like to be turned on like this all the time?!"

Helga rubbed her neck, nervously, "Well, you've done pretty good _so_ far, right? It's been, what, six days?"

"Helga, this feeling just keeps getting _worse._ What on earth did you _say_ when you cast that spell on me?! Whatever you said, it's _strong!"_

" _You're_ the one that doesn't want anything to do with me physically! I've already _offered_ my body to you!"

Arnold sighed, "I want to have sex with you, but I _can't._ It would be selfish and irresponsible, not to mention inappropriate considering my feelings for you _aren't_ love. This spell has drowned out _any_ feelings of love I could have had for you before and replaced them with _lust._ If we had sex, it wouldn't be an act of love. I would be getting myself off by _using_ you, and I don't want _that_ for our first time, do _you?"_

Helga's eyes widened, _Did he say that he had feelings of_ love _for me before?_ She began to get her hopes up, "So, the only reason you're giving up doing everything physically is because you're worried you're going to _use_ me? Football Head, this whole spell thing is _my_ fault, not _yours._ Did you ever _think_ if you had sex with me _once_ it might trigger those loving feelings you had for me _before?_ You _said_ you used to have feelings for me that could have been love, why wouldn't they come back if we had sex _now?_ So, _what_ if it's because of a spell, that doesn't mean you _can't_ be gentle, _right?"_

"You don't realize what this spell is making me want to do with you! I don't _want_ to be gentle. I want to be rough and forceful, thrust into you rough and hard until I lose _complete_ _control!_ I want—!" he took a breath, stopping himself from admitting anymore. At Helga's gasp, he groaned, "You see? _That's_ what I'm talking about, so I _can't._ I'm too sexually frustrated to be anything _but_ gentle."

She wanted him to _love_ her again, so she continued, "So what? Our first time doesn't have to be _perfect_ , right? Do me already! If we had sex _once,_ all our problems would be _over!_ You wouldn't be moody and sexually frustrated. The spell would be over, and you would develop loving feelings for me again!" The fantasy that Helga was conjuring up in her mind made her smile. Now, she wanted to have sex with him more than _ever_ if it meant that he would _love_ her again. She ran over to lock his door and started pulling her dress up and her undershirt off and kicking off her shoes and socks. With only underwear and a bra on, she walked over to him, " _Come on_ , Arnold! Show me what you can do! I can take you! We've got condoms, you know. Might as well get some practice using them!"

His heartbeat quickened just _looking_ at her, "Helga, _stop!_ There's no _telling_ what can happen if I lose control!"

Helga growled as she pulled off her underwear and panties and climbed on his bed and into his lap. He gasped as she continued, "Why the _heck_ are you rejecting me!? _All_ I'm doing is offering to give you _exactly_ what you need, and you keep pushing me away! Isn't it _my_ job to push people away, not _yours?_ Why am I not enough for you now, Arnold? Why am I n _ever_ enough for you! I'm never going to be pretty or delicate enough! I'm always going to be that bully to you, aren't I?! That person that you have to _fix_ to love!"

" _You_ are not the problem _, I_ am!" Arnold groaned as she moved on his bulge, dry-humping him. Even under the covers, he could feel himself ready to release. It was _unbearable._ He held back a groan as he took her shoulders in his hands to stop her torturous movements against him. He paused a moment to think before speaking, "I'm not doing this because of everything that can go _wrong!_ This spell isn't _me!_ You wouldn't be having sex with _me_ but with who I'm becoming _because_ of the spell. If I'm rejecting you _now_ it's because I'm being _forced_ to have sex with you, and I'm not doing it! And _no one_ is going to force me to do _anything._ Not the spell, not my body, and _not_ you. As enticing as your naked body may be, I _can't_ do this! If you want us to have sex, _you're_ going to have to break this spell by figuring out what you wanted me to do when you cast it, because _I_ sure can't. And you're _not_ going to toss that responsibility in my lap because _I'm_ not the one responsible, _you_ are!"

"Is it _always_ going to be like this with us, Arnold? Are we _always_ going to have a lack of a physical relationship now because of _this?!_ Who _knows_ when the spell is going to wear off if you don't ' _complete_ ' it? You could be struggling with avoiding sex the _whole time_ you're in middle school if I don't figure out what you need to do to break it! Are you going to keep pushing me away? After everything we've been through and worked through as a couple, you _still_ don't have enough feelings for me to do this?! I'm offering myself to you on a silver platter, and you're _still_ not willing to _take me?!_ I'm giving you my _virginity_ and telling you that you can use me any way you wish, and you're _still_ saying no?! Don't you care about me _at all._ Don't you _love_ me?!" She reached for his member underneath his underwear and pants. He was already " _pre-releasing_ ". Oh yes, he was ready.

Arnold groaned in sexual frustration, he needed to _resist,_ " _Stop_ it!" he elbowed Helga's face before pushing her on the floor on her back. Arnold was glaring at her, not with lust, but with _rage._ "Get out," he snarled. _"Now."_

Helga was literally pouting as she looked into his eyes with tears in them, "But, Arnold, I..."

Helga could only stare up at Arnold from the floor, speechless. Tears were falling down her eyes and onto her cheeks. Arnold didn't love her. She could see that after he had pushed her down on the ground and elbowed her in the face. He had _never_ done something like that, to _anybody!_ He _never_ really cared for her, did he?

Arnold started crying too, overwhelmed with _so_ many emotions. Sexual frustration, guilt, and hurt. He was disappointed in _himself_ for making his girlfriend cry and for pushing her away, even though he knew it was only to protect _her,_ " _Please_ , just sleep downstairs tonight!" he begged her, tears rolling down his face.

Without a word, she hastily put on her clothes. She opened the door to run out of the room and downstairs to the bathroom. Tears were rolling down her face. As soon as she entered the bathroom, she looked in the mirror. She could tell a bruise would develop where he elbowed her. That was it for her. _No more_. She pulled her pink bow off her head and threw it in the bathroom trash. She pulled her locket out that he had given her and threw it in the trash as well. There was nothing but emptiness in her heart. She was void of emotion. She went downstairs and cried herself to sleep, forgetting all about Grandma's pets sleeping downstairs.

What an _awful_ beginning to her twelfth birthday.

* * *

 **Saturday March 26th… 1 AM**

Arnold had been crying for thirty minutes. He was crying so hard that he was _sweating_. His chest hurt from crying for so long. He wished that he could do something to show Helga that he _did_ care for her. There was nothing he could do after what he had done. There were _no_ words he could say when all he could do was react physically to what he _wanted_ to say.

He was starting to heave now, and he felt empty inside. That hole in his heart was unbearable. Why couldn't he have a _real_ family with parents that knew who he was and what his interests were? He would _never_ have a real family. He would _always_ be stuck with people that didn't know how to love him properly, even his girlfriend. He would _always_ have people around him that didn't know how old he was.

No love, all pain. _Pain_ was all he knew. The pain from crying so hard and the pain from feeling so empty. Was _this_ how it felt to have nothing? Was _this_ how loneliness and despair felt? Was _this_ what the need to have something to grip and hold tightly, the need to have something that was real, _felt_ like?

He sat up on his bed and turned on his bedside light. He didn't want to cry anymore, but how could he stop himself from _feeling_ anything? He wanted to drown out his sorrows; that way he wouldn't have to _think_ about them. He wanted to focus on _anything_ but his own life or the spell. What would help him out? What would take the pain away? What could he focus on that would dry out his tears and make him _happy_ again?

That's when he looked over and noticed his computer. It was lit up from when Helga was using it earlier for school work. He stared for a second as naughty ideas came into his head. He couldn't _help_ it, he had been _turned on_ for _so_ long. At the opportunity to get relief, he jumped out of his bed and walked over to the computer. Helga had only made him _more_ on edge _._ He was _dying_ to get some sort of release from _everything_ he was going through. He sat down and realized that relief was staring him right in the face. He had thrown Helga out of his room that night, so nobody would know what he was doing. He could _always_ lock the door. He could _always_ take care of himself to where he wouldn't have to _feel_ anything, right? Was it worth it? Of _course,_ it was worth it! There was no reason he couldn't do this. It wasn't cheating to look at a couple dirty pictures, and it would relieve his tensions from being turned on for a week. It would also dry his tears. It was _perfect!_

He made his way over to his door and shut and locked it. He turned off his bedside light and stepped over to his computer again. He sat down at the keyboard and looked up a couple _magical_ words in the search engine. His eyes lit up and his heart skipped a beat at the images his brain saw for the very first time. He felt adrenaline rush from his head all the way to the bottom of his feet. He reached down to touch himself to what he was seeing. It was an _amazing_ feeling. It was something he had _never_ felt before and it made him feel better. He clicked more pictures. He told himself, _Only a few hours of these images and I'll be able to sleep for a change, without tossing and turning. I won't have all the tension on me anymore. And I won't be biting everybody's head off because of my hormones. I'll start treating them better. Yup, just a few hours of this…_

Who would have _thought_ that two hours would turn into four?Four would turn into six, and six would turn into eight. He didn't _want_ to get off that computer. All he wanted to do was get _himself_ off. He wanted to _relieve_ all that built-up tension that had been building up for _seven days_ with _no_ relief.

It was nine a.m. and he _still_ hadn't stopped.

His mind was _consumed_ with naughty words and images. They played on his mind repeatedly.

But they distracted him from all the pain in his life and kept him from having sex with his girlfriend.

He decided to keep doing it.

* * *

 **Sunday March 26th… 9 AM**

Gertie noticed Helga sleeping on the couch, but that didn't stop her from swatting a fly on the table in front of her. Helga shot up from the couch in a sit-up position quickly, looking up to see Gertie with a fly swatter in her right hand. Gertie spoke to Helga, worried, "Eleanor, what are _you_ doing outside of the White House during these early hours?"

Helga blinked and then rubbed her eyes. She questioned, "Eleanor? Do you mean Eleanor Roosevelt? She's _dead_ , lady. She died years ago."

Gertie sat beside her, "Just call me Gertie, dear. Now, I know the depression has hit everyone, and I know you can't afford your own medication. These should help you out with the president." She gave her a pack of birth control pills.

Helga looked at the tablets. She turned them around. At first, she didn't know _what_ they were. She blushed darkly when she realized it was _birth control_ , "What the... are you off your _rocker,_ Grandma?!"

"Now, now Mrs. Roosevelt, there's no _need_ to be embarrassed. This depression will be coming to an end soon and so will World War II. I know you and Franklin D. are more than ready to start your own family, and I know it's your birthday today. I thought you could use a helpful gift."

"But, how in the..." she blinked, "what gives you the idea that me and Arnold are even _involved_ with each other like that?" she sighed, _Right now, he doesn't want much to do with me._ _Is this supposed to mean that we broke-up again?_ She wondered.

"You talk in your sleep, dear. Now, remember to take one a day at the same time and when you run out, give your doctor a call so that she can refill your prescriptions. Be right back, dear. I have to feed Batty and Stalker." Gertie made her way into the kitchen.

Helga followed her as she continued speaking, "I don't even _have_ a doctor or insurance, Lady. _You're_ the one that's Batty, and who the heck is Stalk— _AHHHH!"_ Helga jumped back before she walked into the kitchen to see the bat and snake at the table. She had forgotten _all_ about Grandma's pets, and now wondered how she managed to sleep without Arnold beside her on the couch.

"More reasons to see the doctor. I'll have your monthly prescriptions available; just give a light knock on my door when you're ready for them." Gertie noticed her scared look at the doorway and added, "Oh, don't be afraid of them, dear. They don't bite."

Helga's eyes widened at the doorway as she asked, "Your... _you're_ my doctor? Wait a minute, how are you even filling these prescriptions for me? You guys aren't good on money yourselves right now, and _I'm_ not legally related to you!"

Gertie swatted a few more flies at the table before saying, "Always have a backup when hard times hit, Eleanor. I thought the _war_ would have taught you _that."_

"But... where the heck did you even _get_ these?" Helga held up the birth control, _Is she even able to_ _get_ _pregnant at her age?_

Gertie noticed a big fly on the table, "Grandma's got some medicine for you," she swatted it before turning to Helga and speaking in a normal voice, "From the _pharmacy_ , of course. You don't need a prescription to buy birth control. It doesn't take much to put in an order online without seeing your doctor. The library is also great help for people who aren't computer savvy. Once a doctor receives the order, they fill it for you and send it to your address. I'm sure the overactive lifestyle with the president has kept you healthy enough to skip the doctor's visits."

Helga could only blink from being freaked out, in more ways than one, "You're not... seriously _promoting_ me to do this under your roof, are you?" She thought, _Criminy, his Grandma's crazier than I thought she was. Swatting flies, carrying birth control, and what the_ _heck_ _is she feeding these pets of hers?_

Gertie made her way over to the sink to pour some water in a bowl for her _pets,_ "Desperate times call for desperate measures. With the end of the war coming up, everyone around you will be following suit. Franklin and you seem a little tensed up. Time to get that tension out of your systems. You've got bigger battles to fight."

Helga muttered as she looked down at the ground, "Yeah, like not being scorchingly mean and treating people with compassion, right? Too bad I haven't figured _that_ one out." She sighed, feeling hopeless again. No _wonder_ Arnold wasn't talking to her.

Gertie heard her as she sat down the water on the table for her pets, and replied, "Hmm, sounds like you've got more of a battle right now than the War. Is the depression getting you depressed, dear? Why not talk with the president about it?"

Helga sighed, at least Arnold's Grandma was trying to help her. She gave up hiding and decided to play along. She walked half-way in the kitchen. At least using different words that weren't direct would make it easier for her to discuss Arnold, "The president's pretty upset with me right now. He's got enough obstacles and I just put another road block in his way."

"Have you tried meditating?"

Helga raised an eyebrow, "Huh? What the heck is _that?"_

"You've never heard of meditating, dear? It's a way to cultivate the mind, develop focus, ease disrupting thoughts." the snake was hitting Gertie's arm forcefully, "Oh, all right, Stalker, I'll get you the rats."

Helga was lost in thought, _That crap Dr. Bliss got me to do a couple years ago? Yeah, right. Like all that mumbo jumbo is going to work? It didn't work in fourth grade and it won't work now._ Helga gasped as soon as she saw Gertie pull a couple dead rats out of the fridge. She gulped in fear, slowly backing away.

Gertie smiled at Helga as she laid the plate down for the snake, who quickly started eating it at the table, "Be as the frog in the pond, my child. You do not seek the fly. The fly comes to _you."_

Helga continued to back up, "Um, _yeah, yeah_ , that's great and all, Gertie, but I've got more pressing matters to attend to." _Criminy, I've got to get out of this nut house!_

Gertie seemed to get back to normal, "Okay, dear. Just remember to be home for _supper_ tonight. Got to replenish your strength for the _mission field."_

Helga ran up the stairs, to get away from Grandma's pets. She threw away the birth control. Like she would _ever_ need it.

* * *

 _ **Friday April 8th…**_

Stella kissed Arnold on the cheek right before Miles pulled him into a bear hug.

Miles said, "We'll only be gone a couple of days, son. Now you be a good boy and don't forget to do what your grandparents told you and take care of the animals while we're gone."

Stella smiled at her son. She said, "I love you, Sweetie. I'm going to miss you."

Phil walked over to Arnold and looked at him sternly, "Now Arnold, don't forget to make sure the snake and the bat, and all of Gertie's cats and dogs are fed _twice_ a day. That's very important, Shortman. Also, don't do anything _I_ wouldn't do." He gave him a wink as Arnold sighed and closed his eyes in frustration.

Ernie said, "Come on, Gramps, you're taking forever over there. The boy knows what to do. He's been taking care of Grandma's cats and dogs for _years."_

Mr. Hyunh said, "Yes, it's time to get out of the city. Mai's waiting for me."

Meanwhile, Gertie was talking to Helga. She had her right hand on Helga's left shoulder and was giving her a smile, "Now Eleanor, I put some numbers on the kitchen counter in case you need anything. Don't let the president give you any trouble now, you hear?"

Phil said aloud to all of the boarders, "Well, let's get going so we can make good time on the road. We only have a week at Casa Paradiso and I'm ready to enjoy _every_ second of it! Hold the fort down, Shortman!"

Arnold sighed as he looked up at him, "I'll _try,_ Grandpa."

As they all walked out the door to leave, Arnold and Helga were the only humans left in the boarding house. They gave each other a look. Helga scowled at him in anger. Arnold looked at her with guilt.

Arnold broke the awkward silence to say, "I'm going to my room."

Helga said back, "I'm going for a walk." And walked out of the boarding house, slamming the door.

Arnold winced as she slammed the door. At least this would give him some time to look up _"stuff"_ on the internet while he was by himself. He knew it would make him feel better and distract him from his sadness. He ran up to his room and locked the door quickly, getting on his computer again.

* * *

 _ **Saturday, April 9th…**_

Helga went to get a shower that evening while Arnold took a nap. With none of the borders home, she knew she could take as long as she wanted. She wanted to wash off the stress from the day with the hot water. She was glad that she had privacy, but sad because her and Arnold _still_ weren't talking. She didn't understand _why._ Even on April 1st, he wasn't around her or the boarding house for some reason. He even took off _school_. It was _obvious_ he was holding back from doing sexual things with her, but why did he have to stop _caring_ about her? She felt like she didn't matter in his life anymore. As she washed her body, tears began to roll down her eyes. She might as well have been a regular tenant, not his girlfriend. She didn't understand why he didn't just _break-up_ with her.

Arnold woke up at six p.m. after taking a nap. The worst thing about it was he almost had _another_ wet dream. It was _embarrassing_ , and it was about his girlfriend _again._ It didn't matter how much he tried to avoid her, he _still_ thought of her sexually. He didn't want to get on the computer to look up dirty images because he did earlier that day and he was _still_ turned on. He also didn't want Helga to come in and see what he was doing, since she _was_ his girlfriend. Maybe the best thing for him to do would be to take a cold shower. Maybe it would calm him down and he could " _take care of himself_ " in there. Maybe he could even not get " _hard_ " again for a change.

He was turned on and frustrated as he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom downstairs. He walked in. He was so distracted by the dirty thoughts playing in his head that he didn't notice the shower water was on. He shut the door lightly, turned around, and _that's_ when he noticed his girlfriend's shadow in the shower curtain. He froze. She was completely naked and drenched in soap. He gulped, feeling his " _member_ " twitching at the sight. He was more than ready to have sex and holding back was _torture._ Would she _really_ mind if he had sex with her? Of _course_ not! She had told him so _herself._ She _begged_ him to have sex with her less than two weeks ago! He took a deep breath. He had made up his mind. He was going to get rid of the spell that was cast on him. He was going to have sex with her. Right there.

He stepped in the tub in front of his girlfriend with his clothes still on.

She gasped in shock when she saw him and backed up against the wall opposite of the shower faucet. She said, "Arnold, what are you _doing_ in here?! Get out! Can't you see I'm trying to take a shower?!"

His outfit was becoming wetter. It hid nothing from her. He was _obviously_ turned on and sweating badly. He groaned in pain, "Mm... _please_ Helga. For once, can we not talk and just _do?"_ He placed his lips on hers, trying to make the kiss against her soft, but as soon as his tongue entered her mouth, he couldn't control it anymore. He pressed his hard body against hers and put his hands on her shoulders to bring her closer to him. His passion was kicked up into aggression quickly. He needed her _badly_ to do what he'd been needing her to do for _months._ He groaned in her mouth just as she pulled away from him.

She gasped as she looked into his large pupils and said, "Football Head, what's your _deal?!_ You haven't been talking to me for two weeks and _now_ you're going to jump me in the shower?" She was shivering with nerves. She wanted to have sex, but _not_ if he didn't _love_ her. Of _course,_ she wanted to meet his needs, but _not_ when she had so much fear running through her mind. Would he be there for her in the future? He sure wasn't there for her _now._ She didn't know whether he wanted to be with her _at all_. He might have just wanted _sex_ from her when she wanted love from him.

He groaned as he tried to control himself. Who was he kidding, it was _useless!_ All he wanted to do was sink himself into her body. He wanted to get rid of the tension that had been building up for _months._ He said to her, "Helga, you've _got_ to let me do this! I've been holding back for _so_ long, and even looking up dirty images isn't taking care of this at all. I stay turned on. I don't just want the pictures anymore, I want _you._ I want so _badly_ to complete this act. I don't want this spell to be on me any longer! You've _got_ to let me have sex with you! I can't take this tension anymore! Everything in my heart is _crying_ to do this!" He felt like crying just _thinking_ about it, "I obviously don't have _anybody;_ my grandparents think I'm older than I am, and my parents think I'm younger. You _obviously_ want nothing to do with me, and this hole in my heart is just getting bigger with time! It hurts, it hurts so bad! And it's not just my body that's suffering now, it's my _mind,_ _please!"_ He kissed her lips and started Frenching her immediately. He pushed her body against the wall roughly as he wrestled her tongue quickly.

Helga winced as her back hit the wall, hard. He was so _aggressive,_ so _forceful,_ so _angry._ It was almost as if he was taking out his aggression of everything that had happened to him on her body. She couldn't _take_ this! There's no _way_ that she could have sex with him while he was in _this_ condition. She was being _used._ It would mean something to her, but it would mean _nothing_ to him. It would be like he was ripping her body into _pieces._ She knew it would hurt _twice_ as bad if he continued being rough the way that he was. She pulled back and looked into his eyes, scared, "We _can't_ right now, Arnold. Besides, we need some sort of protection against me getting pregnant, like condoms or something. I'm not even on birth control!" The thunder rolled outside loudly as she started to fret. She realized that she threw away the birth control his grandmother gave her, and she was regretting it. He didn't look like he was ready to go back in his room to get a condom, either.

"Please, Helga, _please?!_ I won't get you pregnant, I _promise!_ I'll even pull out before I release anything. Why don't we just do it _now?!_ If you fall pregnant, we'll figure it out. We're mature enough to handle it!"

"But is that going to stop the spell if you pull out? How would _that_ be completing the act, and our health book says that the pull-out method doesn't always work! I can still get pregnant! Will I be able to carry full term at my age, and how will we be able to raise a child with _no_ income and _no_ support? You _know_ my parents aren't there for me now, and your parents will be _so_ disappointed in us!" She heard the rain outside starting to fall. Her eyes started to glisten with tears _._ He didn't love her _at all_ , he only wanted his _own_ pleasure.

Arnold groaned, "You've _got_ to trust me, Helga. _Trust_ me!"

Helga sighed, "But you're not _thinking_ straight, your mind is consumed with _lust._ We're _not_ responsible enough to raise a child together. We're children _ourselves!_ We don't even get _along_ half of the time. And how are you going to make love with me if you don't have _feelings_ for me? This is only _sex_ for you, Arnold. I mean, you said it yourself, Football Head, you don't have _any_ feelings...!" That was when he claimed her lips again roughly. He bit her lip in the process, making Helga gasp in pain and her lip start bleeding. Helga winced as she realized that was only a _small_ amount of pain compared to what would be the feeling of him _pushing_ himself inside of her. She could feel tears hitting her face, no she couldn't _cry,_ not _here,_ not _now!_ As she pulled away from him, she looked into his eyes and gasped in surprise again, but not from _her_ pain. It wasn't _her_ that was crying, it was _him,_ but _why?!_ Wasn't this what he _wanted_ to do?! What was _wrong_ with him _!?_ Something had been wrong with him for _weeks,_ but she couldn't figure out what it was. She asked, worried now, "What's wrong, Arnold?! Why are you _crying,_ criminy, I didn't hurt you _that_ bad in the last couple weeks, did I? I haven't been talking to you or touching you at _your_ request!"

Arnold whimpered softly, "Everything inside is _killing_ me, and it's not just my hormones or the spell anymore. It's this _emotional pain!_ The only thing that makes me feel halfway decent during the day is looking up stuff on the internet to get myself off or playing with myself in the bathroom at school. Just that moment of release is a _mazing._ It releases me from these _chains!_ But it doesn't feel like it's enough anymore! I want _you!"_

Helga felt tears roll down her eyes from watching him in pain. It was over something that she understood too well from watching her own family struggle with it. She confessed to him, "You're _addicted!_ You're emotionally and physically _addicted_ to this thing! Who says you're not going to want to do me tomorrow even _after_ the spell is over? I wouldn't mind having sex with you, Arnold, but this whole thing is only a method to get rid of your _emotional pain!_ Sex with me isn't going to mean _anything_ to you when it's what you use to cope with life!"

Tears began to fall down Arnold's face even more. He begged as he pushed his core against hers, " _Please,_ I _need_ you, Helga!"

Helga gasped, feeling how hard he was against her.

Arnold managed to meet her lips softly, groaning in pain from holding back.

Helga could feel his tears falling on her cheeks and sighed in defeat. He was too sexually frustrated to listen to reasoning. She wasn't turned on _at all_. She knew it would be painful, but she _loved_ him. She knew she _had_ to do this for him, even at the risk of her getting pregnant. She needed to take away his pain. She brought her tongue into his mouth as she felt her own tears falling down her face and mixing with his. They both cried from being emotionally empty inside. She was _shaking_ , not in _pleasure_ but in _pain._ He was so focused on getting to his release, that he didn't even _notice._ He was _so_ focused on the pain in his heart that he didn't even notice the pain in _hers._ She would do this for _him_ , not as an act of _pleasure_ , but as an act of _love_. As they both broke the kiss, she grabbed his cheeks with both of her hands to look in his eyes tenderly. He was crying heavily now yet didn't make a sound. _His_ pain caused _her_ pain. She cried softly as she spoke honestly to him, "I _love_ you, Arnold. I'll _always_ love you. I'll love you even if you don't love me, even despite your bad mood and pushing me away physically and hitting me in the face. I love you now and forever, until death do us part. If you're going to do this thing, just break me quickly and get it over with. Take away this emotional pain in your heart; that way you'll feel better. I don't want you to be in pain anymore!"

It didn't take long for Arnold to throw his shirt over the shower curtain. He took his pants and underwear off but left them in the shower water, which was starting to become lukewarm. Neither noticed that. They were focused on their own pain.

Arnold was crying even more harshly as she laid her naked body against the bottom of the bathtub. He got on top of her, placing his hard member against her vagina.

Helga began to cry silently as she watched him. He was _still_ being rough on her skin, and she could _swear_ that she would have a bruise on her back by the end of the night. She closed her eyes, try not to think about the pain that would hit her soon. This was for _him_ , not _her._

He slowly parted her girlhood to sink his penis inside her vagina. Just that little bit of pleasure was _overwhelming_ when he hadn't experienced anything like it in his life! Going inside her a little bit more, he sunk into her hole slightly. The head of his swollen penis was surrounded by her very warm tunnel, so warm that he wasn't expecting it. It was a little rougher than he expected, and not slippery, since she had little time to get excited herself. The tingling around his head was _still_ more than he expected. All the frustration he had for the past two weeks was _too_ much.

Helga groaned, waiting for the inevitable pain, but it _never_ happened. Instead, she felt a hot sensation against the inside of her vagina. She _knew_ it wasn't urine or the water hitting her. The water had become lukewarm, so what was it? It was with Arnold's gasp and his shiver that she recognized what was happening. Arnold had released before getting all the way inside of her. He was so sexually frustrated that he had lost control!

Helga looked into his eyes in shock. As he contracted his hips to get closer to her hymen, she gently took his penis out of her. At least he could finish releasing _outside_ of her body. She knew she would need to take a pregnancy test because he was so close to her opening, but he hadn't broken her. He was releasing, but he hadn't _completed_ the act. She didn't know whether she was frustrated that the spell wasn't over, or relieved that she didn't experience any more pain and heartbreak.

Helga sensed her love struggling to breathe as he continued to orgasm. She pulled his shoulders close to her and let him rest his head against her right shoulder. Apparently, the build-up was _great._ She had _never_ seen him release so long or feel him release so much. After seven days of being sexually frustrated a couple months ago, he didn't release _that_ much. It was no _wonder_ he tried to jump her in the tub and he was so moody all the time. His testosterone levels must have been high! It must have been a combination of emotional and physical need! She held his head to comfort him. She rubbed her hands through his sweaty blond hair gently to relax him as he released. Both were naked and lying against the tub floor. The lukewarm water poured on them, washing off the sweat, tears, and sperm.

She _finally_ understood why he was reacting the way he was. Helga whispered to her love softly. She held him gently, "I'm sorry, Arnold." The water continued to fall on them as they both held each other tightly. They were lost in the moment. Helga felt as if it was _hours_ before anything happened. They just sat there, holding each other.

About five minutes later, Helga's ears heard a sound that pained her soul. Was he... _crying!?_ Why was he _crying_ again _!?_ _She_ didn't do anything, did she? Wait a minute, it might have been because he finished too quickly to _complete_ the act. Was he upset because the spell was still on him? She took his shoulders to pull him away from her body gently and sit him on top of her hips. She looked into his teary eyes tenderly. She reassured him, "Arnold, it's _okay_. We can try again in a couple minutes. Don't worry, it's _fine_. These things happen."

He rubbed his eyes with his hands, "Do you think _that's_ what I'm upset about, after all of _this?!"_ More tears came down his cheeks with gasps as he cried. He admitted, "I practically _forced_ you to have sex with me. I forgot about the condoms, didn't even _ask_ for your permission to touch you, and didn't even _care_ whether you were ready to have sex! I lost _control_ of myself!"

Helga shrugged, "It was bound to happen sooner or later, but it wasn't as bad as you're making it out to be. In the end, the idea sounded pretty good. At least the spell would have been broken."

"Helga, we're in the _sixth grade!_ We've got our _whole lives_ ahead of us to start a family. Instead of thinking logically, I gave in and did what _I_ wanted. If it weren't for me finishing right then, you wouldn't be a virgin and you could've gotten _pregnant."_

 _Oh, there's still a small risk I could be knocked up, Hair-boy._ She said, aloud, "Quit bringing yourself down. You couldn't _help_ it. It's because of the _spell_ , and anyway, so _what_ if I became homeless or got pregnant. I care about _you,_ Bucko. I want you to be _happy."_

That only made him cry even more. As Helga reached up to dry his tears with her fingers, wishing he would stop crying, he said, "I _used_ you. You love me _so_ much, and I did nothing but _use_ you. I'm _not_ happy putting our lives in danger like this and being _so_ caught up in this feeling of need that I'm not caring about _you!_ I care about you, Helga. I don't care _what_ I have to do, this will _never_ happen again!"

"I don't know how that's possible, Arnold-o. Madame Blanche said—"

He hugged her gently, still crying, "The only thing that matters is what _I'm_ saying to _you_." He let go of her, looking into her teary eyes, "Our future is important to me and I'm _not_ going to mess it up because of these urges. I'm going to start treating you properly again and finding a way to tame my hormones. While you're living here, you need me to be responsible and make the right choices. You don't need to become homeless or pregnant. I want you to stay while I work through this. I want our first time to be _amazing._ I don't want it to be because we got caught up in the heat of the moment or I lost control. I want us to be able to go to dances in middle school together. To pick high school and college courses, get our license, go to the prom. I want us to do all these things before starting a family. I want us to get our _lives_ together. I need to get my _own_ life together before having sex with you. You've barely started being able to _have_ children, and I've barely started being able to _make_ them. I don't need to take anything away from you right now, and I almost did. I don't need to rob you of any opportunity for you to be everything you're meant to be!"

"I appreciate the sentiments, Arnold-o, but you're taking some pretty drastic steps after having an orgasm. What are you planning on doing the _next_ time you want to jump me, huh?"

"Well, I—"

"What about the fact there's _still_ no available rooms in here for me to move into, so I'm stuck in yours?"

"Um, well—"

"And what about the fact that not only do you have a _spell_ cast on you until it fades, but your hormones are _already_ out of control because of puberty. With what you said earlier, I'd _also_ say your addicted to sex. It's an _emotional_ need for you _now!_ Emotional needs aren't easy to run away from."

"I haven't thought about all those things yet, but I'm sure I could figure someway out."

"None of your ideas have worked for you _before,_ what makes it so different _now?_ Come on, Arnold, even _you_ know this is a hopeless situation. Even if you _did_ find something that managed to do the trick, you'd _still_ treat everyone like crap from being " _on edge_ " all the time."

He hung his head low and looked down, knowing she was right, "Helga, I don't know _how_ I'm going to do this yet, but I _will_ show you that I will do _everything_ in my power to focus on this and " _do the right thing_ ". I want to be the best boyfriend I can to you, and I've been _awful_ the past couple of months. I've been so focused on my _own_ needs that I haven't even cared about _yours."_

"You know, you're fighting a losing battle here. This is a basic human need for _every_ guy. You're not going to be able to resist it. If Miriam couldn't resist alcohol and Olga couldn't resist bad relationships, what makes you think you're going to be able to resist doing sexual stuff?"

Arnold kissed her gently on the lips and then looked into her eyes with sincerity. He was already _"excited"_ again, but his eyes were glistening with fresh tears. Helga stared at him as he whispered to her, "I _will_ do this. I've reached rock bottom."


	14. Chapter 14: Breaking the Chains

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. _This_ chapter is rated **M** for heavy conflict and sexual situations. You have been warned.

* * *

 **Reviews:  
** **Jam:** His parents would need counseling after living through the sleeping sickness, and what Kafka novel? Lol I suppose I'll need to watch the episodes again :D Thanks for the review.  
 **ForeverRogue:** I had so much fun writing Gertie and Phil in the last chapter, and his parents do have trouble accepting they missed ten years of Arnold's life in my story. His parents will be shocked, they will eventually find out something. Thanks for the review.  
 **Guest (June 23** **rd** **)** : Did you read the outline for my next chapter? Lol, seriously though, that's _exactly_ what happens! Thanks for the review.  
 **Thatamosgirl:** Thank you, Phil and Gertie were so much fun to write. I had to throw in one more thing for Phil in this chapter, cause I'm just messed up like that. This chapter is lighter. Thanks for the review.  
 **Kryten:** Frustrating to read. Can you imagine _writing_ it? Lol, thanks for the review.  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** There's hope for Arnold in this chapter. Thanks for the review.  
 **SakiKitty** : This chapter is _so_ much lighter, but you may be shocked. Thanks for the review!  
 **Em Pataki:** Spoiler alert: Helga grabs the birth control from the trash. Thanks for the review.  
 **Cool-girl Pataki:** Hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks again for the review! [I'll probably send you another PM for the next chapter 😉]  
 **The Wasp1995:** Yeah, Arnold obviously cares a lot about Helga or else he would've never refused to have sex with her, something his body is dying to do. I was relieved when Arnold "finished" before entering her, and _I'm_ the one that wrote it! His family is the reason he has a hole in his heart, and that's part of the reason he's getting consumed with sex (besides the spell). I'm glad to hear I'm highlighting puberty for Arnold correctly, considering I'm not a guy. Thank god for male friends and editors! Thanks for the review.  
 **FullThrottleAmmy:** Glad your enjoying the story, and thanks for the review.

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Breaking the Chains**

 **Sunday, April 10th:** _DAY ONE_

Arnold was lying on the red couch. He opened his eyes the next morning, feeling restless and " _on edge_ ". He felt guilty from what happened with his girlfriend in the bathtub, so why was he " _turned-on_ " again? He knew the rest of the boarding house would be gone until next weekend, which would unfortunately give him more opportunities to have sex with Helga. He vaguely remembered her expression of fear in the bathroom. She was _terrified_ , and she wasn't ready to have sex. He didn't want to put her through that fear again, but how would he resist the temptation to do physical stuff, with nobody around to see it? His groin was tight, his _member_ ached. It was one thing to want to have sex and " _get himself off_ ", another to be in pain from _not_ doing it.

He sat up from the red couch, ready to take a cold shower to make his " _erection_ " go down.

As Helga slept on his bed, he walked quietly out of his room and downstairs to the bathroom. The first thing he noticed when he walked in was the bathroom floor. It was completely soaked in water. The shower curtain fell in the bathtub in the middle of the night, and an empty shampoo bottle was lying in the bathtub. He sighed in defeat and rubbed his neck. After everything that happened yesterday, him and Helga were too exhausted to clean up the bathroom. Instead, they got dressed, went upstairs, and fell asleep. Arnold took a towel to dry the floor. He hung the shower curtain back up, and he grabbed the empty shampoo bottle to throw it in the trash. As he threw the bottle away, he noticed two things in the trash can that looked familiar. He picked them up and looked at them in surprise. It was Helga's bow and her locket. Why were they in the trash can? Helga _never_ threw away important items that reminded her of _him_. He looked at the locket picture of them both on the Sunset Arms rooftop with his arm around her and a smile on his face, her looking shocked in the picture. He was determined to " _do the right thing_ ", and with his eyes glistening from new tears starting to develop, he put her bow and locket in his right pants pocket. He walked out of the bathroom, forgetting about his shower. He sat down on his red couch to think to himself about his predicament again, _If I wanted to stop advancing my relationship with Helga, how would I get the information I needed to do it?_

As Helga slept, his eyes wandered to the books on his night stand beside his bed. Suddenly, he had an idea, and he was willing to try _anything_ at this point.

* * *

Arnold left Helga a note on his nightstand, letting her know he was going to an _"out-of-town"_ library. Before he left, he quietly emptied his light blue backpack of all his school books, hoping to take some library books home. He put his backpack on his shoulders and left to go to the bus stop. He took two buses to the library. Being a Sunday, the library wasn't busy, which was fine with him because he didn't want other people to see _what_ he was looking up. He went to a library outside of Hillwood for a _reason._ His struggle was embarrassing, especially at _his_ age.

Instead of asking the librarian for help, he decided to look for the books on his own. He got on the computer and searched the library's database for keywords to find what he wanted to read: _sexual_ _addiction_ , _lustful thoughts_ , _self-help books_ , _changing your thoughts_ , _emotional pain_ , _pornography addiction_. He was surprised at all the books he found in the database. He got a small sheet of paper next to the computer and wrote down call numbers for his search results. He looked towards the shelves he would need to search. He breathed in relief when he noticed the call numbers were listed on the walls of the library and he could find the books himself. He wasn't about to _ask_ anyone to help him find one of _those_ books.

He was thankful he had grown a couple inches over the last few months, so he could reach the books on the upper shelf. After gathering thirty or forty different books from the shelves, he brought them back to a table, making multiple trips before sitting down to read some of the books to himself. He opened one of the books, skimming through the pages. All the material was new to him.

The book said,

 _ **"Addiction is one way the mind fulfills hurt and loneliness in a person's life. It is a form of physical dependency resulting from an emotional or psychological need. Whether you're addicted to alcohol, drugs, food, sex, or relationships, the addiction of choice becomes a need that fills the hole in one's heart. People become addicted after a period of active indulgence in a stronghold. Eventually, the high from addiction becomes so strong that the addict will lose control of their behavior and seek a greater high. When the greater high isn't achieved, a person who's addicted starts to go through withdrawal. It can be withdrawal physically or emotionally."**_

Arnold blinked and whispered to himself, _So,_ _that's_ _why Miriam was so upset when she was at the homeless shelter. She must have been going through_ _withdrawal_ _from not drinking. I wish I could've been more supportive to her about what she was going through._

After knowing he was going to check out the book **,** he put that one down and picked up another to skim through it. He needed to make sure it had the information he needed before checking it out,

 _ **"...Our addiction is something we consistently think and obsess about that threatens to take over our lives. It is a behavior that we become dependent upon that alters our emotional state of mind and satisfies our desires. These addictive tendencies threaten our emotional well-being, but we can't stop. An addiction can, for instance, arise from unexpected social, emotional, or environmental stresses. When hurt deeply, instead of succumbing to painful emotions, we think about the object of obsession to prevent us from feeling the pain. We indulge in behaviors that help us feel better to block the emotional pain. It requires constant work, effort, and time for us to change our behaviors..."**_

After reading that, Arnold thought about the pain in his life, and his parents thinking of him as a little kid. His grandparents thinking of him as an adult, and his girlfriend throwing out the locket he got her. The sudden thoughts caused fresh tears to fall from his eyes, and he felt himself twitch underneath his pants. Automatically his mind went to think about sexual images and the pleasure it brought him being on his computer. The words he read clicked, and he blinked back the tears. He thought to himself, _So, these painful emotions I've been feeling. The loneliness and grief from not having an adult that understands me._ _That_ _could be why I can't stop looking up stuff on the internet. I guess I'm using sexual stuff to fill the hole in my heart. It blocks out my emotions, so I don't have to feel the pain. I_ _am_ _addicted, but how do I fill this hole without giving into my urges that are so strong?_

He skimmed through the rest of the book until he curiously came across something _else_ that intrigued him,

 _ **"An addiction can be so strong that a person has to lose everything before seeking help. Until they reach 'rock-bottom', they are unable to change. For the addict that's reading this book and wishes to be different, recognize that there is hope for you too. You can overcome your physical dependency and have healthy and lasting relationships."**_

Arnold closed that book to put it off to the side. He would be taking _that_ book to his house for sure. He opened another book. He flipped through the pages to skip over alcoholism and drug addiction and go to _sexual addiction_. His eyes widened when he read the page,

" _ **Sexual addiction is characterized by these nine traits. If you have six out of nine of these traits, you are currently struggling with a deep sexual addiction and should seek help:**_

 _ **Characteristics of sexual addiction are:**_

 _ **\- unable to control sexual urges.**_

 _ **\- spending unnecessary time filling those sexual urges, either physically or mentally.**_

 _ **\- experiencing negative results because of sexual behaviors, such as loss of a relationship or job.**_

 _ **\- putting off doing other things to fulfill your sexual needs.**_

 _ **\- use of the computer to engage in things such as pornography, prostitution**_ _ **,**_ _ **or cybersex.**_

 _ **\- the need to increase sexual behavior to get the same pleasure as previously gotten with less.**_

 _ **\- taking risks sexually outside your normal preferences.**_

 _ **\- experiencing loss of self-esteem, shame, and guilt for what you can't control in your sexual behavior.**_

 _ **\- trying to stop your undesired sexual urges and behavior but relapsing during times of increased stress and anxiety."**_

Arnold sighed as he put the book down closing his eyes in frustration and putting his left hand on his forehead. He thought to himself, _I've got every one of them. Well, so much for this only being a spell. I wish Helga would've never done this to me, then again, how would we have known I would have gotten consumed in the pleasures?_ he sighed as he flipped pages, _But, what am I supposed to_ _do_ _? These books are showing me I have a problem, but I_ _can't __go to sex addicts anonymous like these books keep suggesting. I_ _can't_ _let people know what I'm going through, so how do I solve the problem on my-_ he blinked as his eyes caught a passage half-way through the book,

" _ **If, however, you are deciding against sex addicts anonymous, there**_ _ **are**_ _ **ways you can start in your road to recovery:**_

 _ **1\. Exercise - physical activity distracts the mind and gives the body something else to do besides fulfill its sexual desires.**_

 _ **2\. Change your thoughts - typically, it's lustful thoughts that causes the male to engage in sexual urges. By changing your thoughts, it will be easier to resist those urges.**_

 _ **3\. Meditation - meditation is a method that trains the mind to let go of thoughts and to focus on the present moment. Meditation is very useful in overcoming any addiction.**_

 _ **4\. Addiction transfer - whenever the mind wanders to sex, transfer that focus to something else. This can be a great strategy but can also work against you if the focus is on alcoholism or drugs. Make sure the focus you're transferring your sexual addiction to has a positive impact on your well-being.**_

 _ **5\. Install internet protection - install blockers and protection against the sites that tempt you to engage in addictive behavior."**_

Arnold chanced a smile and whispered to himself, "I can do this. It will be difficult, but I _can_ say no." he thought to himself, _I need an addictions transfer, but what can I use as a distraction?_ He looked at all the books on the table and smiled, the idea coming to him on what would help him the most. He took a moment to gather all the books up and start checking out _all_ of them _._ He thought, _Twenty books._ _That_ _should keep me occupied. I guess I can read every time I feel this hole in my heart or feel a temptation to do sexual stuff. The books will distract me from the pain along with this need I feel that makes me want to give in to sexual pleasures._

He put the books in his backpack, barely fitting them in there. He made his way back to the boarding house.

* * *

 **Monday, April 11th:** _DAY TWO_

Arnold walked into homeroom and sat at his desk beside Gerald. Gerald was avoiding him because of his behavior last week and Helga was ignoring him over something stupid. He was _"turned on"_ and frustrated, but he had an idea what to do _this_ time. He pulled out a book with a blue cover on it. Why a blue cover? Nobody was going to know the material he was reading if he could help it. He read for twenty minutes until Mr. Frank came in to start the history lesson.

...

Later that day, Arnold was sitting at a lunch table. He was in the middle of his " _self-help_ " book. They were just getting into how to distract the mind when his girlfriend walked over to sit next to him. For the first time in _months_ , he didn't notice her _body_ walking over to the table.

Helga said, "What are you so engaged in, Bucko? You've been reading that stupid book all day."

He narrowed his eyes, "Are you really going to start a fight with me _again_ because of a book?"

She said, "You've been spending more time with that book lately than _me_. What the heck is distracting you?" she thought, _Back to the bad mood and no sexual contact again, but now he's not even_ _touching_ _me. Figures. One mistake and he goes off the deep end._

He said, "It's a _good_ thing I'm distracted. I _can't_ continue to live how I've been living."

She didn't believe him, "Whatever you say, Paste-For-Brains. Anyway, what's got your interest? It must be a pretty good book if you've been reading it since you got home from the library yesterday **.** " She tried to peek at the text, but he brought the book to his chest, blocking the words from her.

He tried to lie, "Uh... Agatha Caulfield?"

"You're a terrible liar, Arnold-o, why would you be hiding a book written by _her?_ Agatha hasn't even _had_ a new book out since _The Weird-Headed Boy and the Mean Ol' Witch_ , and I _know_ you've read that one." She thought for a moment before saying, "Frankly, Hair-Boy, the boy in the book sounds a lot like you," she managed to take the book from him and he gasped, blushing like crazy.

She read a couple sentences and her eyes widened at her boyfriend in shock, "Criminy, Football-Head, I didn't know you had it in you! You're reading _porn?_ At _school?" So_ _that's_ _why he's been avoiding me lately? I don't know whether I'm more angry or speechless._

Arnold took the book away from her. He found where he left off in his " _self-help_ " book and put a bookmark in it. He closed the book. sat it down on the table and looked at his girlfriend sternly. He whispered with a blush on his cheeks, "It's _not_ a book of porn. It's a _self-help_ book, but I don't want anybody to know I'm getting help on this kind of stuff, _okay?"_

Helga started laughing, "Oh, _please,_ Arnold-o. If you think for a second all those books you got from the library are going to distract you from screwing me, you're _wrong._ Why don't we just have sex already? I'll get over it eventually."

Arnold narrowed his eyes in frustration, "You're not _ready_ to take our relationship there, I could see it in your eyes on Saturday, and I'm _not_ going to do what I did to you again. I meant what I said."

"But Miriam worked through self-help books for _years_ and they haven't done a _thing_ for her. Why do you think they're going to work for _you?_ Are you the special case?"

Arnold said, "Maybe Miriam wasn't ready to change when she worked through those self-help books, or maybe she didn't take all the advice the books gave her. Either way, I'm _not_ her, and you know that."

Helga looked at him, sternly, bending over the table, "Arnold, Miriam even went to _Alcoholics Anonymous_ when she was employed two years ago. It worked for a couple months, and then she ' _fell off the wagon_ '. Do you _really_ think you're going to stay on top of things if _she_ couldn't? This just in, if Miriam couldn't do it with self-help books _and_ weekly meetings, what makes you think _you_ can change with just the books? Addictions are some of the most difficult things to overcome, and I can't see a ' _goodie two shoes_ ' like _you_ walking into a meeting like that, _ever_."

His blush deepened as he said, "Well, you're right. I'm _not_ going to any of those meetings. It would be embarrassing."

She smirked as she leaned over the table at him, "Face it, Bucko, it's time to give up and give in."

He gave her a determined look and sighed, "I'm _not_ giving up, Helga."

Helga sat up from the table to get ready to throw her lunch tray out. She couldn't listen to this nonsense. Even _Arnold_ was _too_ positive for his own good sometimes. She commented as she walked away from him, "Well, good luck, Bucko. Good... _Freaking_... Luck," she laughed as she walked away.

Arnold tried not to let her negativity influence him. He opened the book where he left off and started reading again.

* * *

 **Tuesday, April 12th...**

It had been almost three months since Miriam became homeless. She was _still_ homeless, but she managed to find a job at Vitello Flowers a few months ago when Mrs. Vitello was hiring part time. She remembered the day like it was yesterday...

(Flashback)

 _Miriam walked in Vitello Flowers as Mrs. Vitello greeted her at the counter, "Hello there, may I help you?"_

 _Miriam spoke up timidly, "I was wondering if you were still hiring? I saw the sign on your front door that you're hiring part-time, and I could really use a job right now."_

 _Mrs. Vitello's saw her anxious and depressed expression, and automatically felt sorry for her, "Yes, we are still hiring, but before you fill out an application, tell me a little bit about yourself. This is our slow time of the day, so I have time to listen."_

 _Miriam felt just as nervous as she was the first time she attended an alcoholics anonymous meeting, "I don't have much to say. My name is Miriam. I wanted a job to support myself and hopefully get my family back. I've struggled with alcoholism most of my adult life. I've been clean for a month, but I've had to face severe consequences because of my past struggles with alcohol. I just need somebody to give me the chance to live better."_

 _Mrs. Vitello felt bad, and said, "I can only imagine what you've lost because of your struggle. My late husband was an alcoholic. It was all he focused on most of the time, and we lost so many years in our marriage before he got sober. Sweetie, I can offer you a position here to help you bring in some money if you promise to stick with your treatment. You don't even need to fill out an application, I'll teach you everything you need to know."_

 _Miriam was surprised but thankful. She felt her eyes starting to fill with tears, "Really? You would do that, for me? But you don't even know me."_

 _Mrs. Vitello said, "I don't know you, but I can tell that you're motivated to live better. Believe me, if I could get back those years with my late husband because of his alcoholism, I would. Even though I can't change the past in our lives, I can do something about somebody else's future. I want you to be there for your family, and anything I can do to help make that a possibility, I will do."_

 _Miriam smiled, starting to cry. She was finally starting to get used to showing her emotions without blocking them out with alcohol. She said to Mrs. Vitello, "Thank you! This part time job is going to help me so much!"_

 _Mrs. Vitello said, "No problem," she pulled out some W-2 forms and 401K information from her counter, along with a paper that requested basic personal information, "Now, I just need you to do me a favor and fill out all of these papers. Also, I would like you to come over my house today after my shift. I'll be leaving at closing time, but I want you to get some fresh clothes and a bite to eat. I have some old outfits you might like that might fit you. I was going to donate them, but you look like you could use them right now."_

 _Miriam wiped tears from her eyes, "You... you don't have to do that for a person like me. You've done so much for me already. You've offered me a job, that's more than enough."_

 _Mrs. Vitello said, "It's really no problem. I enjoy helping people, especially since I don't have much family of my own left. Just get those papers filled out. And don't put yourself down, Sweetie. Everybody has struggles in their lives. Making yourself feel bad about your past isn't going to help you in your future."_

 _Miriam said, "I was an awful woman in the past. I lost my husband, and I lost my family. I don't even know where one of my daughters is living right now."_

 _Mrs. Vitello said, "It's time to focus on yourself right now, and then once you get your finances straightened out, you can focus on your family."_

 _They gave each other a soft smile. Miriam was thankful to have a person to give her another chance and an opportunity to make money, even while she was homeless. Mrs. Vitello was thankful to have somebody help her run her store, especially since she was close to retiring..._

(End flashback)

Miriam smiled heavily at the memory. She had gotten so many of her clothes and meals from Mrs. Vitello. The lady did so much to help her "get back on her feet" and she was worried she wouldn't be able to accept the full-time position she was offered from Mrs. Vitello because of her homelessness. Sure, she had managed to keep money without spending it on alcohol, but houses and apartments were expensive when living on your own. She knew she couldn't support herself to live in a house or an apartment.

As she got off the train that day, she looked at the bulletin boards that had addresses and numbers for places with free meals around her area. She always did that, but she never noticed there were names on the bulletin boards for people who needed a roommate. She skimmed through all the names, hoping to find something near her work place. She had yet to get back her license or a vehicle to drive. She pulled out a piece of paper from her survival-backpack and wrote down an address, a name, and a number. This woman only lived a ten-minute walk from the flower shop. She lived in a two-bedroom apartment and was looking for a roommate to help with bills. Miriam hoped the woman was as friendly and understanding about her situation as Mrs. Vitello was. She said a soft prayer to her "higher power" and went into Mrs. Vitello's shop to start working. She would call the number she wrote down later that afternoon and schedule a day to meet.

* * *

The next day, Susie answered the door of her apartment to see a familiar face behind it, "Miriam, is that you? _Wow,_ I knew when I talked with you on the phone your voice sounded familiar. So, you're the Miriam that I met when we went on spring vacation a few years ago!"

Miriam smiled as she hugged Susie, "Oh, Susie, it's great to see you again! I didn't know you were the Susie I met a few years ago, how's life going? I wish we would have exchanged numbers when we went on vacation together. You were one of the few girlfriends I've had that understood me."

Susie said, "Oh, we'll definitely be exchanging numbers, Miriam. Come on in, have a seat. We'll figure out financial arrangements."

"Already? I... I mean, as much as I would _love_ to stay with you **,** Susie, I have to be honest about how I've been living my life the last three months first."

Susie looked up at her, not knowing what she would say at all.

Miriam bit her lip as she admitted to her old friend, "I lost my house. My family and I had to move in the Beeper Emporium, and then we lost the Beeper Emporium. Bob sold it, moved out of state, and divorced me. I struggled with my drinking more and checked myself into a homeless shelter and a treatment center. The treatment wasn't working, or I wasn't trying hard enough at the beginning, and I got kicked out of the homeless shelter after stealing some money from people who were staying there. I _do_ have a job right now, but I've been living homeless because of being part time. I couldn't afford a place of my own then, but I'm going to be full time soon and can afford to live with somebody and help with bills. I'm... I'm clean from the alcohol now. I've been clean for three months, but I'm ashamed of how I've been living my life."

Susie had no judgement in her expression, only open arms as she pulled Miriam into a hug on her couch, "Oh, Miriam, I'm so sorry for what you've been through! Divorces are some of the most difficult things to go through, especially if you are in love with the man. Believe me, I know, I had to get a divorce from Oskar because he didn't want to change his ways. I couldn't live my whole life supporting him and working sixty hours a week. I already wasted eleven years of my life. It wasn't fair to _me._ I should have listened to my Mother years ago on the issue, but I was too in love and stubborn to see what was right in front of me the whole time."

Miriam said sadly, "So, Oskar quit his job as a newspaper boy?"

Susie said, "Oskar didn't quit his job, he got fired. He missed too many days. He started over-sleeping again and his boss was wondering why the newspapers weren't being delivered. I didn't blame his boss for firing him, but it was hard for him to find a job with an eighth-grade education. I wish he would've kept the one he had. I made all the monthly payments to Phil by myself for years, and the only way Oskar would contribute would be to sell items in our apartment. I never had anything, and after talking with my Mother on the phone one day, I realized I'd had enough."

Miriam said, "I'm sorry about that, Susie. Is Oskar still living there?"

Susie nodded, "It's only a matter of time before Phil throws him out. I can't imagine how he's making the payments."

Miriam said, " _Nobody_ should have to go through what you went through."

Susie looked at her, "And nobody should have to go through what _you _went through. Miriam, were you able to get in touch with your husband to at least stay in touch for the sake of the children?"

Miriam said, "I don't know where he moved. I think he went to live with his uncle, but I don't have his uncle's number or address. All I received when he divorced me was the divorce papers. As for my daughters, I'm in touch with Olga and I visit her every other week to check on her and her... well... roommate. My other daughter, Helga, I... honestly have no clue where she is, and I miss her terribly."

Susie said, "Well, I can assure you of _one_ thing, Helga is just fine. She is living at the boarding house. She's not even paying rent; she's staying with Arnold in his room. If things haven't changed since Christmas, she's still living there."

Miriam breathed a sigh of relief. Realizing it had only been four months since Christmas, she was reassured that Helga was still there, "Thank you _so_ much for reassuring me of that. I've been so worried about my other daughter. I wasn't sure if she went with B or if she was in another homeless shelter. I was so messed up back then. I lost focus of what mattered, including my own family."

Susie said, "I've had my own problems with drinking in the past and believe me, I understand. My selfish ways were part of the reasons I got involved with Oskar. I guess it taught me to be more of a selfless person if I wanted to look at it from a positive point of view."

Miriam pointed at herself, "I just wish there was a way to look at _this_ from a positive point of view. I've lost the only family I've ever had, and my oldest daughter is living in an abusive relationship." She looked down sadly, "I blame it on me. I'm the one that lived with B several years when he was abusive. As soon as he became manager at the Beeper Emporium, the abuse stopped so I didn't leave. I should've left anyway. His past actions should've been enough reason for me to leave the relationship. When I got pregnant with Helga, right then I decided to stick it out for the sake of the children."

Susie said, "Well, you only did what you thought was right at the time, Miriam, don't be sad about that. Now, you're saying your oldest daughter is in an abusive relationship? Has the man hit her recently?"

Miriam sighed, tears in her eyes, "Yes, he _has_ hit her recently. I was at the hospital with her last week. I got all the medical records because I wanted to contribute to her payments. Olga's in a lot of debt right now because of this man. She gives him everything without questioning anything. I'm trying to be her Mother again, and I'm hoping she'll forgive me for what I've done in the past. She has some court hearings for past abuse charges that were filed. One court hearing is on April eighteenth, the other is on May third."

Susie looked at her, "April eighteenth? That's next week!"

Miriam said, "Yes, I'm going to be there to support her, but I don't think there's anything she can do. She has to be the one to get out of the situation herself."

Susie said, "But, if she has bruises on her and a good witness like you to testify against him, we can get him thrown into jail."

"We?"

Susie said, "I'm going with you, Miriam. Let's get the little bit of stuff you have right now moved into this apartment. After that, we can focus on getting your daughter out of this situation and moved in here, too."

Miriam said, "Do you really think the court will listen to us? All he has to give is a sad story and they're liable to dismiss him."

Susie mentioned, "If she has _any_ bruises on her, they're liable to lock him up. Assault and battery is taken seriously. All we can do is give it a try, Miriam."

Miriam said sadly, "I'm willing to do _anything_ to get her out of that situation." And with those words, she called her boss and let her know she accepted the full-time position. That day, she picked up her remaining clothes from her boss's house, and the few things she had over there that was hers. After a few days, she was moved into her own room in Susie's apartment.

For the first time in three months, she wasn't homeless.

* * *

 **Wednesday, April 13th:** _DAY FOUR..._

As Arnold walked in his room that evening with a towel over his shoulders and his night clothes on, he noticed Helga scowling as she typed at his computer.

He said to her, "What's wrong? Why are you upset?"

She turned to him swiftly, "I'm _sick_ and _tired_ of this eccentric boarding-house family. I mean, for crying out loud, I've been trying to get a shower since this morning and somebody's been inside the bathroom this _whole_ time! Your bathrooms were hard to get into before, now they're impossible!"

Arnold stared at her a moment, "Helga, _I've_ been in the shower. I took a shower this morning, and two showers this afternoon."

"So, _you're_ the reason there's no hot water in this house. What the heck do you need three showers a day for?! Let me guess, you've been in the bathroom ' _getting yourself off_ ',right? Can't you find another way to do it?!"

Arnold sighed, "I haven't been doing _that_ lately, I already _told_ you I'm not planning on doing that anymore. And there's _plenty_ of hot water. I've been taking _cold_ showers."

Helga started yelling as he walked over to her, "What? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Why the _heck_ would you take a cold-" He grabbed her hands and entwined them with his, they were _freezing._ He looked into her eyes hesitantly as she gulped and stared at him in shock. She let go of his cold hands and said, "You... you _really_ took a cold shower?"

Arnold nodded before walking over to the couch.

Helga's eyes wondered over his body as he walked over to the couch. As he started making his bed, she _did_ notice something different about him. He wasn't as tense as before, and he wasn't " _turned on_ " anymore. She blushed deeply as he laid down and turned to her, curiously. She turned away, not wanting Arnold to see her looking at _that_ part of him. She muttered to herself, "Criminy."

* * *

 **Friday, April 15th: DAY SIX...**

Helga was sitting on the couch as she hung up the phone from her conversation with Phoebe. She glanced over at Arnold as his Grandpa walked in the room with a book in his left hand and an odd combination of foods on a white plate in his right hand. The plate had on it licorice, nuts, two salmons, and mint candy. Helga raised an eyebrow as his Grandpa handed the plate to Arnold, with a fork.

She said, "Should I even _ask_ this time, Arnold-o? That combination of foods has _got_ to be crazier than the foods you ate when we did that bio-square project."

Phil defended his grandson, "Sometimes crazy combinations are _good,_ take me and Pookie for example. There's nothing wrong with the boy experimenting with different things."

Helga said, "Yeah, I _guess,_ but what's the purpose of it?"

Arnold said to his girlfriend, "These foods lower testosterone levels in the body. I've got to give it a shot, even though the combination _is_ a little weird. My testosterone levels are pretty high."

Helga turned her head away, disgusted. Just _looking_ at it was making her sick. She said, "But fish and mint? Licorice and nuts? If I ate _any_ of that, I'd be _sick!_ Why are you _torturing_ yourself?!"

Phil laughed, "I have no clue why he's torturing himself, Helga. I already _told_ Arnold what he needs to do about this, didn't I, Shortman?" he whispered in his grandson's ear, "How about instead of experimenting with different **'** _foods_ **'** , you experiment with different **'** _positions_ **'** ," his Grandpa took the book from behind his back and handed it to Arnold.

Arnold's eyes widened when he looked at the cover _and_ the title. He gulped as his Grandpa stood up and Arnold looked back up at him, nervously. He said, "Grandpa, where did you even _get_ this?!"

Phil said, "You don't think me and Pookie just sat back and watched the _waves_ in Casa Paradiso this week, did you? With that said, if anyone needs me, I'll be in the office." His Grandpa turned around and walked out.

Arnold and Helga just stared at the door, both speechless for different reasons.

Helga cleared her throat nervously as she turned to Arnold, "So, um, you think I could have that book?"

Arnold blinked in surprise, and then replied with a whisper, "Put it somewhere where I don't see it." _At least I don't have to worry about_ _that_ _temptation anymore._

Helga walked over to take the _Karma Sutra_ from Arnold. She sat on the couch, flipping pages and reading it curiously.

Arnold started on his dinner. He tried to focus on his food instead of the graphic book in his girlfriend's hands. He thought, _I sure hope this food gets my mind off things._

* * *

 **Sunday, April 17th: DAY EIGHT**

Helga walked in Arnold's room with a smile on her face. It had been seven days since she got the birth control out of the trash can she threw it away in. She started taking it last Sunday, and she was going to let her boyfriend know it. She was ready to have sex with him, and she loved him enough to break the spell, "Hey, Football-Head, put down whatever book you're reading. Your grandparents went to the store, your parents are at work, and all the boarders are asleep. Let's have sex! Nobody will know if we're quiet. Let's finish what I started!"

To his credit, Arnold didn't look up from his meditation. He was sitting Indian style on his bed, his eyes shut, his hands on his knees. He was _completely_ focused.

Helga was confused, "What the heck are you _doing?_ Didn't you just _hear_ me? I _told_ you I'm ready to have sex with you! Doesn't that ' _excite_ ' you in anyway? I just started on birth control last Sunday and it's been seven days! You don't even need to wear a condom!"

Arnold didn't move, completely focused on something else, but Helga didn't understand _what_ because he was by himself and in complete silence.

Helga growled, throwing off her dress and kicking off her socks, "Arnold, quit ignoring me, I _know_ you can hear me! It's been what, eight days since you did _anything_. You've _got_ to be ready to relieve some tension. I just _told_ you that I'm ready to have _sex_ with you! Don't you want to put yourself _inside_ of me? Don't you want to fill me up with your _sperm?_ Willing live specimen here!" Helga waited a moment for Arnold to do something, _anything_! When he didn't move, she growled in frustration. She picked up her clothes and stomped out of the room, slamming the door.

At the sound of the door slamming, Arnold opened his eyes cautiously, and then let them shut again. He slowly brought his focus back to his breathing. Letting all thoughts go and trying to relax his body, he took a deep breath.

* * *

 **Monday, April 18th...**

 _8:30 a.m._

Susie and Miriam walked in the courthouse together. After running their things through the metal detector, they noticed Olga. She was sitting on a bench next to the courtroom and she looked sad. Miriam didn't know whether her daughter noticed her or Susie, but she was not her usual happy self. Olga looked as though she had been crying. Her trial was at nine a.m., so they had thirty minutes to talk before it started.

Miriam and Susie chanced a glance at each other before walking over to Olga. Miriam sat next to her daughter on the left.

Miriam said, "Olga, Sweetie, I'm here."

Olga looked up into her Mother's eyes. Soft tears were falling down her own as she put her arms around her Mother and cried softly, "I know I shouldn't feel this way, Mummy, but I'm going to miss Robert if he ends up facing jail time! I know he hits me, I know he's not a good man, but he's everything in my world right now. He's all I have."

Miriam pulled away from the hug, "Sweetie, I know I haven't been the proper Mother to you, but I want to be now. I'm not only going to be here to praise your accomplishments, but to help you through your failures. Baby, you don't need Robert to be happy. You still have your family right here."

It was then that Olga noticed Susie on the right side of her. Susie put her hand on Olga's shoulder and said, "Olga, I may not be family, but I'm a good friend of your Mother's, and I will be there for you when Robert's gone. If you need a place to stay, you can stay with me and your Mother at my apartment. We'll have everything we need. We can take care of each other, just like a family." She smiled.

Olga started crying more heavily as she heard Susie's words. "You would let me move in with you if I had to put my house up for sale? And Mummy, you would really forgive my failures in this relationship? Even the loss of my virginity?"

Miriam said, "Of _course_ I forgive you, Sweetie. The only thing that matters is your happiness, and you're _not_ happy where you're living. _Please_ Olga, let me be your Mother again. I've already lost _one_ of my daughters, I don't want to lose you, too." Her eyes were teary as she thought about it.

Susie grabbed Olga's hand, "Come on, we've got fifteen minutes before the trial starts. Let's go to the bathroom and get your make-up cleaned up. We'll discuss what you should say in the courtroom when you're in front of the judge."

Miriam said to them, "I'm going to get some drinks from the vending machine for us. What trial room is it in, Olga?"

Olga sniffed as she said, "Room 102."

Miriam said, "I'll meet you ladies there in ten minutes. Olga, dry those tears, Sweetie. Things are going to get better."

 _9 a.m._

The bailiff walked in from a door on the left side of the courtroom. He had black hair and brown eyes. He stood up, looking at everybody in the courtroom, "All rise!"

The few people that were in the courtroom stood up at their seats.

The judge entered and said, "You all may be seated."

The male judge looked to be an older man in his late 50s to early 60s. He had graying hair and thick glasses. He was a little chubby and looked very distracted with the problems going on in the world.

As soon as everybody sat down, the judge said, "I am calling to the stand the case of Robert Jacobs and Olga Pataki. Robert, you're the defendant, so you may go to the left, Olga, you're the plaintiff, so you may go to the right."

Miriam gave her daughter a hug as Susie gave her thumbs up and a reassuring look. Olga made her way up to the stand.

Robert walked up to the stand with his court appointed lawyer. His brown eyes were filled with despondency as he ran his nervous fingers through his brown hair.

The judge turned to Olga, "Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Of course, Sir."

"State your name for the record, please."

"Olga Pataki."

"Now, in your own words, tell me what happened."

Olga took a deep breath, "Back in November, Robert and I were planning on getting married. I let him move in my home a few months prior so that he could help with bills. I put his name on the deed of the house. I was looking for a full-time job after I got my degree at Wellington University. I didn't know Robert was abusive when he moved in with me. I wanted a man that could take care of me. We met right after summer break. I guess you could say it was love at first sight."

The judge rested his head in his left hand, looking a bit bored, although he expected to hear that part of the story, "Okay. Tell me about the abuse and the police report. What happened on the night of November eleventh?"

Olga started to cry, thinking about her sister, Helga. She tried to keep her emotions together for the sake of the case, "My younger sister moved in with me a week before. She was staying with me because our Father left and moved to another state. My Mother was struggling with an addiction at the time, so she couldn't take care of her. I was Helga's only chance at having a place to live. She would've been homeless if I didn't take her in, and Robert said it was okay. The abuse was happening, but I didn't think Robert would be abusive towards Helga. I was just trying to protect my little sister."

"Where did Robert hit you at the time, Miss Pataki."

"Robert hit me on my shoulders and my upper leg. He also punched me in the face."

"Is your younger sister here so that she can testify?"

Olga's cries were heard throughout the courtroom, "No, Sir. When Robert hit her, she called the police and ran away. I had to file a missing-person report. She could be anywhere right now. She could even be in foster care. I haven't heard from her since that day."

Miriam noticed her daughter getting emotional, and stood up to say, "I would like to testify in Helga Pataki's place, Sir."

The judge said, "Who are you?"

"I'm her Mother, Sir."

The judge nodded, "Very well, then I call you up to the stand." As Miriam walked up with some papers in her left hand, the judge looked at her to say, "Now, do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Miriam said, "Yes, Sir."

"Please state your name for the record."

"Miriam Bolt-Lander," she said, feeling strange in using her maiden name for the first time in twenty years.

"Did you witness Olga being physically abused on the night of November eleventh?"

"No, Sir, but I have medical reports from the incident that happened on November eleventh. I went to the hospital that Olga was in and got the paperwork."

As Miriam walked up to the judge to hand him the papers and the pictures from the hospital, Olga started to get worried. She had _already_ lost Helga. She couldn't think about losing Robert _again_. She said, "Please, Sir, don't give him a harsh punishment! I wouldn't know what to do without him in my life! We were planning on getting married before all of this happened!"

The judge looked at the paperwork and the wounds from the photos. He lowered his glasses down to look at Olga, skeptically, "And you would _still_ want to marry a man like this, even after he's physically abused you? Now, I know I can't make proper decisions for you, Miss Pataki, but this incident should have opened your eyes. Looking at Robert's record, I can see that this isn't the only time he's hit you in the past, am I correct about that?"

Olga whimpered at the memories, "Yes, Sir."

The judge sighed, "Miriam, you may go back to your seat. Olga, you may be seated." The judge turned to Robert and his lawyer and said, "Stand up and state your name for the record, please."

Robert and his lawyer stood up; Robert said, "My name is Robert Jacobs."

His lawyer said, "My name is Jeremy Wrights. I'm his court appointed lawyer and I am here to represent him in this case"

The judge said, "Robert, do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Robert said, somberly, "Yes, Sir."

The judge said, "Are you pleading guilty or denying these charges that have been placed on you?"

Robert looked at his lawyer and nodded. His lawyer said to the judge, "Robert would like to plead guilty to the evidence shown in this courtroom today **,** Sir. He hopes for a reduced sentence."

The judge looked at Robert and said, "Is this true, Robert?"

Robert said, "Yes."

The judge looked around and said, "Is there anybody else who would like to speak out in response to this case?"

When nobody spoke out in response to the case, the judge said to the respondents, "In behalf of this case, because of the witnesses and the evidence that Miriam Bolt-Lander has brought to the table, along with Robert Jacobs plea of guilt, I am sentencing Robert Jacobs to ten years behind bars for assault and battery, with probation. Court is adjourned!" The judge banged his mallet against the table.

Olga was crying as Miriam and Susie made their way over to her.

Before they had a chance to say anything, Robert was already making comments. "I might have had a lighter sentence if you didn't bring somebody with you to help you out. I told you I wanted to change, Olga, I was _serious,_ but I guess you didn't believe me! Now I'm going to have to spend ten years in the slammer, because of you!"

Olga started crying as Robert left. Susie brought her arms around Olga as Miriam pat her back.

Susie pulled away and said, "Don't listen to him, Olga. He's just trying to make you feel guilty."

Olga cried, "Right now, I only have a part-time job. I can't _possibly_ afford the rent for that house all by myself!"

Miriam smiled, "You're moving in with us, little Lady."

Olga said, surprised, "I am?"

Miriam said, "Yes, and you're going to use the money that you bring in for your part-time job to pay your bills off. After you're out of debt, you'll be able to get your own house, one that you'll be able to afford by yourself and have in your own name. With Robert in jail and you unable to make the payments, the house will go to the state."

Olga cried, "I can't thank you enough!"

Miriam said, "I'm your Mother, Sweetie, it's what I'm supposed to do for you."

Susie added, "And I may not be your Mother, but I'll always be there for you to talk to."

Olga said, "I don't know what I'd do without you both in my life!"

Miriam smiled, she would be living with her best friend _and_ her oldest daughter. She was also sober. Things were _finally_ starting to look up.


	15. Chapter 15: Temptations

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated**. _This_ chapter is rated **M** for heavy conflict and sexual situations.

* * *

 **Reviews:  
** **J.A.M:** Try anything _else?_ Jam, she took off her clothes right in front of him and practically threw her body at him. What did you _want_ her to do? Get on top of him and start grinding? Either way if _that's_ what you're looking for, it's in this chapter. You're welcome. Thanks for the review!  
 **Starfiction123:** Yeah, Helga's kind of falling into lust, but it's also because she loves him and she wants the affection back that he used to give her. He took everything away so suddenly. You'll see more of her POV in this chapter. Thanks for the review!  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** You'll see in this chapter that Arnold has turned away from solving everybody else's problems to focus on his own. Unfortunately, Gerald and Phoebe's relationship is affected because of it, and yes, Helga keeps tempting him here as well. It's easier to use characters that are already available then to create your own. I didn't want to create a lawyer for Robert, but I realized he wouldn't be there without a lawyer because he can't stand in court. Thanks for the review!  
 **ForeverRogue:** Arnold will eventually say the words you're longing to hear. Unfortunately, it's no time soon lol. He can't say it when he feels he still in _lust_ with her. Helga thinks the only way to help Arnold is to get the spell out of his system. Yes, she's trying to help him, but in a messed up way. I didn't see Susie in the Jungle Movie, so I'm guessing she left Oskar or moved out. I tried to cover the reasoning behind being out of the movie, although she was there earlier in my story, so I had to cover that up with her leaving around Christmas. Maybe she went back to Oskar a few times before finally leaving him permanently? She stayed with him so many years. I'm sure she wouldn't take the decision lightly. Thanks for the review!  
 **SakiKitty:** Thanks for the review! _PS:_ do _not_ read the _italic_ wet dream at Walmart, okay? You might crack up laughing in the store and then people are going to give you weird looks. Lol.  
 **FullThrottleAmmy:** Happy to say that Miriam and Olga continue to improve. Arnold is _okay_ for right now, although he's facing major temptation. Later on, it's going to get worse for him. This one's pretty emotional too. I love drama, what can i say? Thanks for the review!  
 **CoolGirl-Pataki:** Thanks again for your review! This one lots of crazy stuff is going on between Arnold and Helga. Should be interesting to read, to say the least, lol.  
 **Eveythingicecream:** I think there's a lot behind Arnold's perfectionism and he covers up his feelings and emotions through helping people, but that's just my opinion. Grandpa Phil is _very_ sick, and for the record, I would highly suggest skipping the italic section, unless you're planning on crying in laughter. You have _not_ seen disturbing yet until you read that mess. Thanks for the review!  
 **Em Pataki:** She wouldn't be Helga if she wasn't blunt. My main goal in writing is to keep them in character. Also, Helga _does_ feel guilty about what she's doing, but it's a combination of guilt and hurt. Thanks for the review!  
 **The Wasp1995:** Helga and Arnold talk quite a bit in this chapter about their problems. It's going to be a while before Arnold tells Helga he loves her. I was happy throwing Robert in the slammer as well. What an awful man, beating his ex-fiance. Thanks for the review!

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Temptations**

 **Monday, April 18th: Gerald's House…**

Phoebe was at Gerald's house that afternoon, sitting in the middle of the couch with him, Gerald was on the left and Phoebe was on the right. They weren't watching movies that Friday night like they usually did. Instead, she was talking with him seriously about her concerns in their relationship.

She continued, "…I value you as a boyfriend and as a friend, and I want you to know that I want what's best for us."

Gerald nodded, already knowing where the conversation was headed. They both haven't had a decent conversation for almost a month. It was about _that_ time, "Your breaking up with me, aren't you?"

Phoebe looked in his eyes, " _Please_ don't consider this a break up. It's more of a learning experience for the both of us. I care for you a lot. I'm just realizing that you and I have different interests."

He rubbed his neck with his left hand, "I agree with you there. Phoebe don't get me wrong, but I _really_ think you're putting _way_ too much emphasis on a physical relationship. As I said, just because our best friends are doing stuff with each other that doesn't mean we should be. As much as I care for Arnold, I don't think he's _doing the right thing_ like he used to do _or_ giving advice anymore. He has let this relationship with Helga consume him and he's headed for a broken heart. Speaking of broken hearts, I've seen my brother break a few hearts _himself_ because he wanted the physical stuff." He looked at her, confused. He raised an eyebrow, "I thought it was typical for girls not to _like_ guys who only had one goal in mind, you know, to get into a girl's pants? I guess for some reason, you don't care about it. Well, _I_ do. I'm not _like_ that and I never _want_ to be. Why do I have to be the bad guy for being a responsible boyfriend? I try to be careful because I _care_ for you, and you're disappointed in _that?_ Is this a cultural difference thing? You're not making much sense to me."

She sighed, a bit irritated, "You treat a physical relationship as if it's the _plague._ I'm not asking to have _sex_ with you, I'm just asking for a little more intimacy. A little more hand-holding and kissing and more affection in public, but I can see that you're not willing to give it."

He rolled his eyes, getting irritated, "I have no problem with public affection. I'm a natural _flirt,_ and I _do_ like the romance, the movie nights, the holding hands, but yeah, you know what? This isn't going to work between us."

Phoebe sighed as she got up from the couch, and said, "Usually I'm not the one to say these things, Gerald, but in the last few years I've learned from my best friend to be assertive and take the risks. I wish you would learn the same. Even if we didn't work out, at least we could say we _tried._ Everyone's going to make mistakes along the way, but all because of your family's mistakes, you're afraid to make mistakes of your own. I thought you were a stronger person than that, Gerald, I'm _very_ disappointed in you." She looked at the ground.

He stood up and crossed his arms, "And on _that_ note, I thought you were that timid, kind **-** hearted, loving girl I fell for all those years ago, but I _guess_ you've changed. If you want to end it, the feeling is mutual. I think I'm ready to be on my own for a while."

She nodded, tears coming to her eyes, "Me too."

And with those words and a defeated expression, she walked out and left Gerald's house.

He felt irritated and discouraged when Phoebe left, and he went upstairs and slammed his door. He couldn't believe his fear about having a long-term relationship was happening, and he wasn't even _unfaithful_ or _deserving_ of it. He thought, _I do the honorable thing in a relationship, and I get scolded and broke up with for it. No_ _wonder_ _Jamie-o started out his relationships as a player before considering women's feelings. Phoebe sure didn't think about_ _mine_ _!_

Phoebe sighed as she walked home. _Helga was_ _right_ _. A relationship doesn't work without the physical intimacy. We've been growing apart for_ _months_ _. I can't believe he didn't care enough about me to consider it._

* * *

 _ **Tuesday April 19th: Day Ten:**_

Helga was at Arnold's computer, going back between typing up a paper on Microsoft Word and looking at the internet browser for the information she needed. She was working on a book report that was due at the end of May. She was getting a head start while her mind was clear. For the first time in a while, she wasn't worried about her mother. She wasn't thinking about what she did to Olga or her father abandoning her. She decided it would be a good time to start her book report, so she did. She used the mouse to switch to her browser one last time. She noticed the internet page she was getting information from for her book report wasn't there anymore. Her internet browser page was black. She tried to load the page up again, with no success. Frustrated, she turned her body and eyes to stare at her boyfriend. He was sitting on the couch with his knees up, engaged in a self-help book that was in his lap. She said, "What's _wrong_ with your computer? Every time I go to a page to get information, the screen goes black on me after a couple minutes and I can't get back to it!"

Arnold looked up from his book to turn to his girlfriend, "Nothing's wrong with the computer. It's _supposed_ to do that. I deleted our browser history because it was filling up, and then I installed virus protection for the monitor. It only lets you stay on a site for ten minutes before turning off. It's some sort of safety procedure it does, and it helps so that I don't waste time on the internet. The trial version was free for sixty days, so I figured I'd test it out."

Helga stared blankly at him, getting irritated, "So, let me get this straight. _All_ because you're worried you're going to stare at a couple dirty pictures, I _can't_ do my book report. Arnold, this is getting _ridiculous_. What _else_ are you going to wreck?! When are you going to get it through your weird shaped head that you _don't_ have to do this anymore?! You're starting to affect _my_ life now, not just your own. Do you _really_ think I feel like going all the way across town to the library to work on my book report?!"

He dropped his book on the floor and sat up on the couch to look at her, "Look, I'm sorry that this is affecting you, but I have a _deep_ addiction I'm working through right now. Even though it looks like I'm doing good, I'm _still_ struggling with impure thoughts and temptations. I _had_ to install the protection so that I wouldn't go back to those websites I used to look at. I'm not doing this to hurt you. I'm doing this to help _me."_

She sighed as she walked over to him and tried to explain how _she_ felt, "Look, you don't have to do this anymore. You _don't_ have to take three showers a day to keep yourself from ' _jerking off_ '. You _don't_ have to go to the school library during recess to avoid our daily meetings or take long walks during the night. You _don't_ have to meditate during the day so that you can focus. You _don't_ need to eat strange foods or say prayers or avoid physical contact with me. Criminy, _I_ never asked you to do any of this stuff for me, _you're_ the one that's putting all this pressure on your shoulders. You _don't_ have to do the impossible. You have _nothing_ to prove to me."

He looked at her as she sat beside him, "What if I have something I want to prove to _myself?_ What if I need to know I can conquer this addiction? I appreciate you offering yourself to me, and _believe me_ , I would, but there's too many risks I'm taking being involved like that with you. If we're caught, I don't know _how_ my parents are going to react. They could separate us, or throw you out, and I remember your fear of foster care. If you get pregnant, I don't know _how_ we're going to raise a child when we both don't have jobs or income. This isn't the _right_ thing to do, no matter how much my body wants to do it. It's _lust,_ Helga, and I don't want us to waste our first time on lust. You've _seen_ the way I react under this spell, and I _don't_ want to mess up again. When turning away from a stronghold, I must turn away from _every_ temptation, not just being physical with you. It's part of an addiction and _anything_ could set me off. Once this spell wears off and I'm thinking straight, _sure_ we can make love. Give it a couple years when we're a bit older, a bit wiser, and a bit more mature."

She continued to look at him, irritated. She said, "You're going to fail **,** you know. Just like Olga and Miriam but do what you want. I'm _through_ telling you not to worry about it."

He watched her grab her paper and backpack and walk toward the door. He said, "Where are _you_ going?"

She turned to him, "The public library, _doi._ How _else_ am I supposed to get my book report done when you have everything blocked?" _I swear, sometimes he's too positive for his own good. He'll end up finding out the hard way that it's_ _impossible_ _to suppress it,_ _just_ _like everyone else._

He said, "Just be careful _, okay?_ I don't want anything to happen to you. These streets aren't safe at night, and your _still_ important to me, even if we don't have a physical relationship right now."

She narrowed her eyes, "You say _that,_ Bucko, but you can't say you love me. I must not matter that much. It's been, what, six months since we started dating, and you _still_ can't say the words?"

"I'm _not_ going to say the words because every time I try, I react physically. I _can't_ do it anymore."

"Save all your excuses. I'm _out_ of here." She slammed his door.

Between Helga tempting him to _give in_ and her anger toward him for doing the _right_ thing, he was frustrated. How could he _possibly_ tell her that he _loved_ her when all he was feeling was _lust._ Hoping the shower line wasn't full, he sat up from his bed and headed downstairs to take _another_ cold shower.

* * *

 _ **Thursday, April 21st: Day Twelve...**_

Arnold had just gotten out of the shower as he walked in his room. He tried to ignore his girlfriend's outlines as she sat on top of his bed covers with her knees up, writing something in a small notebook. He walked over to the night light beside her. He needed sleep _badly._ He could _feel_ the black circles under his eyes. He said, "Did you need the night light for any reason? I would like to get a few hours of sleep tonight. The last couple days have been… difficult for me." He rubbed his left arm with his right hand nervously.

Helga sat down her book on the left of her and scooted towards the wall, patting the place beside her, "No, _Bucko._ We're _not_ going to sleep until I have a word with you."

He forced his eyes off her legs to look at her face, having _no_ clue what she was going to say to him. He said, "If this is about us having a physical relationship, I'm _not_ changing my—"

"—Oh, Criminy," she groaned, hitting her head with her left hand as he sat Indian style on the right of her. She _already_ didn't want to talk about it. She said to him, "I can't _believe_ I'm going to ask you this."

He put his left hand on her shoulder, " _What,_ Helga? What are you going to say to me? You know you can tell me anything. It shouldn't be _that_ difficult. We've been living together for six months."

She pointed at him, accusingly, "Fine, out with it. Where are all the condoms we got from the sex **-** ed class earlier this year going? And why the _heck_ is there a box of condoms in the trash can that _we_ didn't purchase? I know that you and I haven't been doing _anything,_ so who have you been doing _something_ with?!"

He let go of her shoulder. He was shocked as he held up his right hand in protest, "Hold on, back up a minute. Do you _really_ think I would have sexual relations with another person while I was in a relationship with you? Where are you _getting_ this from?!"

She yelled, "There's obviously _some_ reason they're not in the drawer anymore. What is it, huh? Did you _think_ that you could sneak around without me knowing about it? That your _nightly walks_ to ' _meet somebody_ ' wouldn't be noticeable? Hair-boy, I've _never_ pegged you as the type of guy to cheat, but I guess there's a first time for _everything._ Who do you have to blame for _this_ one? The girl next door, or that stupid temptation of yours? Who are you doing it _with?!_ And why would you drag _me_ along for the ride, why not just _break up_ with me if you were so _unhappy?!"_ She felt like crying. _It figures. I can't have the boy for six months before he goes elsewhere. I_ _knew_ _he never loved me. He's just playing_ _games_ _! Stupid, childish_ _games_ _, and this no physical stuff has been his excuse to start a relationship with someone else!_

He was afraid to hug or kiss her because he was afraid he would take it too far. Instead, he grabbed her hands to try to entwine them with his. She pulled her hands away instantly and scowled. She wasn't going to be used by him _anymore._ She crossed her arms.

He looked into her eyes with sincerity, "Listen, I don't know _where_ you got the idea I'm having sex with somebody else, because I'm _not._ I don't know why you would even _think_ I'm _capable_ of that. I would _never_ cheat on you, Helga. It tears me to _pieces_ just thinking about it."

She was crying now, and said, "Then, what's happening to the _condoms?!_ _Come on,_ Arnold, let's be real here, you _can't_ lie yourself out of this situation forever!"

Arnold sighed as he realized he would need to confess to her what he's been doing with them, but it was _so_ embarrassing. He put his elbows on his legs and his chin in his hands, trying to figure out how to explain it _properly._ There was no way _to_ explain it. He groaned, "Helga. I—I don't know a proper way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. Yes, I've been using the condoms every night."

Helga didn't let him continue, " _What?_ I _knew_ it, I _knew_ you were lying to me this whole time!"

He was blushing, but _still_ tried to explain himself, " _Please,_ let me finish before you start assuming anything else." He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat, "I—I've been putting them on before I fall asleep to—to prevent myself from, well, messing up the couch from having wet dreams. I…I—" She blinked in shock at what he was saying. He grabbed her right hand, "I'm _still_ having them. So... so, _please,_ stop. I _had_ to figure out some sort of solution to my problem. I _can't_ change the sheets every other night or my parents will grow suspicious, and my Grandpa _promised_ he wouldn't say anything to them. _That's_ why there's used condoms in the trash. Also, the box of condoms is from my _Grandpa._ He gave it to me when the boarders went on vacation."

She was shocked and put her left hand on her chin in thought, "Hmm, so, your Grandpa gave you _condoms_ and your Grandma gave me _birth control._ You _still_ don't want to have sex?"

"Yes," he groaned, covering his face, feeling _completely_ humiliated. He also didn't want to remind himself that she was on _birth control_ and he could have _sex_ with her anytime he wished. He had heard her when he was meditating and had been trying to erase the thoughts ever since.

She watched as he walked back to the couch rather shaky before she said to him, "Oh— _Oh!_ So, _that's_ why some of the condoms have been full of—"

"—Okay, _okay_ , I get it," He breathed harshly as he sat down, "Can we go to sleep, and would you turn out the light beside you, _please?"_ He groaned, feeling his heart rate go up and his palms shaking. Just thinking about having condoms full of sperm in the trash was getting him " _excited_ ". He _just_ took a cold shower, and he already needed _another_ one. So much for having a full night of sleep. He would be too _tense_ to get _any_ rest.

She smirked at him, as she laid down underneath the covers in his bed, getting an idea, " _Wow,_ Hair-boy. I don't know whether to be impressed or freaked out. So, does _that_ mean you have a condom on right _now?"_

He didn't know whether to be honest with her or not, but said nervously, "Y—Yes. Yes, I do."

She teased him, "Great! I can jump on top of you in the middle of the night, and you can't _do_ anything about it. I'll be your first for _sure_ that way."

He was breathless. He didn't even _think_ about that possibility. Now that Helga knew he was wearing a condom to bed every night, what would stop her from jumping on top of him? "D—Don't say that, Helga. If—if we're too loud, _anybody_ could wake up and h—hear us." His body was already reacting to her words. His member was shivering and twitching inside his night pants. The ideas were in his head, and they didn't sound _too_ bad. They _were_ bad, what was he _thinking_ , _that_ was the whole problem!

His mind started playing seductive images of him and Helga in his room, without his permission.

 _She was walking over to the couch seductively. She was purring, slowly stripping her way down to wearing nothing. She stopped in front of him, completely naked. She gave him a wink, putting her left hand on one of his shoulders as she said, "What's the matter, Hair-boy? Can't_ _think_ _when I'm this close to you? Want to feel how_ _wet_ _I am right now?"_

He gasped as he felt his member twitch again inside his night pants. He _almost_ reached down to grab himself and start stroking, right in front of her. He needed to follow the advice of his self-help books. No touching himself or playing dirty thoughts inside of his head to get himself off.

He groaned as he tried to get comfortable on the red couch. The sheets were too hot, his body was too sweaty. He was having difficulty concentrating on anything but having _sex._ His mind was already thinking about throwing Helga's night clothes off. There was only a couple steps he needed to take to reach his bed.

Why did his girlfriend have to be so _seductive?_ Why couldn't she just leave him _alone?_ Didn't she understand how much he was _struggling?_ Twelve days without " _taking care of himself_ " and he was going _insane._

He had a feeling it would be _another_ restless night at the boarding house.

* * *

 _ **Start dream sequence…**_

 _Arnold didn't know_ _where_ _he was. He only knew he was surrounded by gray walls and standing on gray glass square floors. He looked over toward the outside to see a big fan blowing into the room._

 _He blinked as he looked down at his clothes. He was wearing black pants and a white shirt with a black tie. Was he at FTI? It looked like he was in the authorized personnel section of the FTI building, but_ _why_ _? And why was he dressed in the clothes he got from Bridget two years ago? If anybody caught him, he could get in big trouble._

 _He tried to find his way back to the door that led to the stairs so that he could get out of there. As he walked closer, the phone rang. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. Mostly out of curiosity, he decided to answer it, hoping to get some answers as to what was going on._

 _He said softly, "Hello?"_

 _He heard his girlfriend, talking excitedly on the other end, "Arnold, it's me,_ _Helga_ _. Come up to the rooftop. I've got the rope we need to finish up here."_

" _What rope, and why are we in the FTI building? We saved the neighborhood two_ _years_ _ago. We shouldn't be in here."_

" _Quit being a Spoiled Sport. Of_ _course_ _we should. I_ _asked_ _you here,_ _remember_ _? When you go out, you'll see a blind_ _and_ _a screen door. Go through it." She grinned._

" _But, what's this_ _about_ _? Doesn't Scheck work here? Aren't we going to get in trouble?"_

" _Relax_ _, Bucko. I was stalling the guards as you took the stairway up. Scheck was arrested so there's nobody in his office. Perfect, right? Anyway, start walking, ask questions later."_

" _But_ _why_ _? I just don't understand what we're doing here."_

" _Just meet me on the roof,_ _okay_ _? I'll explain everything when you get here!"_

" _But I—"_

"— _It's to your right!" And then, she hung up._

' _Okay, that was weird,' he thought, as he hung up the phone. He shrugged. He might as well go outside and meet her, right? He decided it would be a better idea to find Helga and go down on the rope. He didn't need to be caught by the guards while going down the steps. He_ _still_ _didn't know what was going on, but he hoped she would be able to give him some answers when he got outside._

 _He noticed the blinds and pulled them aside, but before he was able to see the glass door, he felt a different kind of blind going over his eyes. A blindfold wrapped around his head. It blocked his vision and his hands slammed into the door, swinging it open. The door opened harshly as he fell to the ground._

 _He got on his knees and tried to crawl around._

 _He heard a familiar voice, "About_ _time_ _you got here!" She picked his body up to carry him over to the middle of the rooftop._

" _Helga, what's going on? I don't_ _understand_ _this. Why are we on the FTI building, and why am I_ _blindfolded_ _?"_

 _She put him down, so he could stand on his feet. She looked at his expression a moment before sympathetically pulling the blindfold off his eyes. The first thing he noticed about her was the trench coat she was wearing. It looked like the same one she wore two years ago when they saved the neighborhood._

 _She said to his confused face, "You told me you enjoyed being tortured, so I figured_ _that's_ _the reason you've been resisting me. You love to inflict torture on yourself, you like to put yourself through_ _pain_ _. You '_ _get off_ _' on it." She put both of her hands on his shoulders, backing him up to the other side of the rooftop, "You_ _enjoy_ _the cold showers, and late-night walks, and you can't get_ _enough_ _of all the books and meditations and crazy foods you've been eating. I've been trying for_ _weeks_ _to get you to notice me again, to get you to_ _touch_ _me. Everything else has failed." She narrowed her eyes seductively at the look of terror in his eyes as he hit the rooftop wall. She said, "Except_ _this_ _. I_ _finally_ _figured out how to get your_ _attention_ _, to get you to_ _notice_ _me again. Since you_ _love_ _being tortured, I figured_ _I'd_ _torture you. That's_ _sure_ _to get you_ _ **'**_ _worked-up_ _ **'**_ _enough to screw me, right?"_

 _He took his hands to remove her hands from his shoulders and gulped, saying, "But... wait a minute, Helga. I never said I liked being_ _tortured_ _. I told you I'm trying to_ _resist_ _having sex with you."_

 _She used her fingertips to touch his chest, going from his chest to his stomach seductively. She said, "Why are you trying to resist something your body_ _wants_ _? You know that book your Grandpa gave you? I've been reading it, and they have_ _a lot_ _of naughty suggestions for us, things I'm_ _sure_ _would have you moaning." As she stopped touching him at his stomach, he groaned, silently wishing she would go lower. She whispered, "It's early morning, and I'm ready to give you the_ _hardest_ _morning wood you've ever had!"_

 _She used her two hands to squeeze his upper thighs as he tried to speak. She avoided his "member" purposely_ _ **.**_ _He said, "What... but..._ _Mmm_ _... We're right out in the open, Helga, we…" she touched his "_ _member_ _" tightly. He groaned in pain, "We can't_ _do_ _this! There's probably guards swarming the elevators_ _and_ _stairs! You can't be_ _serious_ _about this, you can't..." he looked into her eyes, which winked suggestively in front of him. He swallowed, "You can't really_ _torture_ _me up here, can you?!"_

 _"Sure, I can! And_ _don't_ _worry about going to prison, I've already got the handcuffs to put around you. Now keep your hands still,_ _and_ _to yourself!" She put his hands behind his back and handcuffed him_ _before pushing his shoulders roughly against the wall, him still facing her._

 _He groaned, "_ _Mmm_ _, listen, it's not_ _you_ _, it's the_ _spell_ _. I haven't been touching or kissing you because of the_ _spell_ _, not because I don't care for you or I don't_ _want_ _to!" She put the blindfold around the back of his neck, rubbing it against his neck side to side teasingly. Then, she touched his lips with her lips for a moment and pulled back, smiling slyly. He swallowed again as he said, "I want to do stuff, badly,_ _oh god, so badly_ _, but I want to do it_ _right_ _!"_

 _"Turning you on, isn't it?" She grinned, before squeezing his "_ _member_ _" again. He groaned, closing his eyes, and trying to cling to the wall behind him somehow. The handcuffs prevented him from doing that. She turned him around, so he was facing the wall, she said, "Oh, we'll_ _do it right, all right. I'll do it with you all morning after I tie you up with this rope and_ _spank_ _you." She pulled a thick yet small rope out of her black trench coat and hit him roughly on his upper thighs a couple times. He yelped in pain and groaned as she turned him back around so that he could face her. She growled like a caged animal as she tied the rope tightly around his hips, blocking any chance he would have at taking his pants off. She whispered in his ear, "I'll have you screaming my name so loud the whole_ _neighborhood_ _will hear you begging for mercy. Now, stop squirming and behave yourself. You're staying in one spot, whether you like it or not!"_

 _He tried to reply as she bit his neck, "Helga... you're..._ _ugh_ _... you're torturing me_ _already_ _! Don't you see what you're_ _doing_ _to me?!" as she nibbled his neck, he tried to speak, "You have no clue how_ _hard_ _it's been to_ _resist_ _you all this time!"_

 _She pulled away from his neck to speak, "I can_ _see_ _how_ _hard_ _it is right now!" She squeezed him again through his pants, and he groaned roughly, wishing he could_ _touch himself with his hands. Unfortunately, they were tied behind his back_ _ **.**_ _"Isn't it_ _awful_ _to be so_ _hard_ _and not be able to_ _do_ _anything about it?!" She got behind him to push his shoulders toward the doors he came out of, and into the entrance of the authorized personnel room._

 _He was growing even more frustrated as she pushed him toward the elevators. He said, "Where are we going?_ _Please_ _stop. I know it's only been twelve days, but I'm going_ _insane_ _already! Just let me… just let me go_ _home_ _." She pushed him roughly inside the elevator, until he hit the wall, hard. He groaned, collapsing on the ground as Helga pushed the second-floor button to go up to Scheck's office._

 _She turned to look at him, and yelled, "Stand up, Bucko! You're only going to go '_ _home_ _' if you're on good behavior!"_

 _He managed to get on his knees and slowly stand himself up on his feet._

 _As soon as he got upright, Helga grabbed his handcuffs and pulled him out of the elevator. He yelped as she said, "And do you really_ _think_ _I'm going to let you have an_ _orgasm_ _tonight?_ _Please_ _! If you want to orgasm_ _that_ _badly, you better start_ _begging_ _for it!" she pushed him into Scheck's office as the grey shiny doors behind her shut._

 _He barely managed not to fall on the floor again. He was on the verge of tears. He wasn't sure if it was from the pain, or pleasure. He approached her, "_ _Please_ _,_ _please_ _don't_ _do_ _this to me! It's so hard but," she pushed him into Scheck's chair roughly as she sat on top of him, he said, "_ _Ugh_ _, I'm doing so_ _well_ _! I_ _don't_ _want to give in to this_ _temptation_ _!" He groaned again, biting his lower lip in pain and closing his eyes as she started grinding on him._

 _She whispered in his ear, "You think_ _you're_ _hard? Just imagine how_ _wet_ _I am. Can you feel it through that hard bulge in your pants? Too bad you can't reach me and feel it with your_ _hands_ _. Oh, I'm sure you'd love_ _that_ _. My underwear and inner thighs are completely_ _soaked_ _because of you!" She stopped grinding on him a moment to pull off her trench coat and throw it on the floor. It was then Arnold noticed she was only wearing a pink bra and matching underwear._

 _He felt himself twitch inside his pants when she started grinding against him again, and he said, "Oh God,_ _please_ _stop!" he tried to move his hips with hers to ease some of the tension, but the rope she tied around his pants made it impossible for him to create any friction. He said, "It takes me_ _forever_ _to get thoughts out of my head like that! Of_ _course_ _, I want to touch you! I_ _want_ _to feel how soaked you are!" he groaned as she stopped grinding against him and got up. He was left sitting on the chair with a huge bulge in his pants, and no way to touch it._

 _She reassured him, "Listen, you don't have to go and torture yourself about it, you know, not when_ _I'm_ _going to do it_ _for_ _you." She held out her right hand toward the room they were in, stating matter_ _ **-**_ _of_ _ **-**_ _factly, "This is a_ _dream_ _, Arnold-o. I don't have to_ _torture_ _you without giving you a_ _reward_ _. After doing stuff, we can have_ _sex_ _, but only if you do_ _exactly_ _as I say."_

 _He moaned as he was reaching his limit,_ _quick_ _. He_ _knew_ _he was already pre-releasing because of her constant teasing. He said, "What," he strained against the handcuffs, aching to touch himself, "_ _Ugh_ _… what do you_ _want_ _from me!?"_

 _She whispered, approaching him slowly, "I want you to_ _beg_ _and_ _plead_ _, Arnold. I want to watch you_ _suffer_ _. The way you've made_ _me_ _suffer waiting for your touch, day in and day out since you started resisting this_ _spell_ _."_

 _He managed to get up from the chair, walking toward her body, "_ _Please_ _... you're not just going to..._ _leave_ _me like this... are you! I need your touch around me, I'm already starting to…" he groaned as she pushed him on the table, getting on top of his body. Her sex was against his. She could feel through both their clothing that he was soaked down there._

 _She grinned as she backed up enough on his hips to feel him through his pants with her hands, "Already_ _pre-releasing_ _, huh? You must_ _really_ _want to put your_ _hard rod_ _inside of me." He groaned as she massaged the bulge in his pants, she said, "Too bad you can't_ _reach_ _it. Matter of fact, we can make it easier and just have sex on this table,_ _hmm_ _? You would_ _like_ _that now, wouldn't you?"_

 _"Helga..._ _Mmm_ _, I don't care_ _where_ _we do it, but can we_ _please_ _just_ _do it_ _?!" To his misfortune, she stopped massaging him just as he was about to "_ _finish_ _". He groaned, trying to thrust his "member" against her hand again, but it was useless, "_ _Mmm_ _… I mean, like you said, this is a_ _dream_ _, so it doesn't_ _matter_ _where we have sex!"_

 _She couldn't help but smirk, "You_ _really_ _think you're going to '_ _get off_ _' that easy, don't you?" She pushed him roughly against the table, grinding her sex on his huge bulge, "Every_ _inch_ _of you isn't going inside me until_ _I'm_ _ready!"_

 _"You told me you're completely_ _soaked_ _, and I can_ _feel_ _it! How can you_ _not_ _be ready?! You know you're_ _dying_ _to have me inside of you, like you said, you've been wanting me inside of you for_ _weeks_ _!"_

 _Helga was moaning to herself now as she continued to grind on him, "Just_ _think_ _about how_ _tight_ _and_ _wet_ _and_ _cozy_ _it will be in_ _here_ _once you get in."_

 _"_ _Ugh_ _...!" He moaned roughly when she stopped grinding again right before he was going to orgasm._

 _Helga paused for a moment as she looked down at him, seductively, "Hmm, I don't know. Maybe I just want to_ _pound_ _you against the_ _hard-wood_ _and make you wait."_

 _He finally managed to press his body weight on her. He pushed her down so that he was on top of her and could softly grind, being the one to make_ _her_ _suffer for a change. She groaned as he said, "Forget about_ _that_ _hardwood, do you know how hard you're making_ _mine_ _?!" He groaned as she thrusted up on him, he added, "Y_ _—_ _You've proven your point, Helga! You're right, I_ _can't_ _overcome this, I_ _can't_ _resist this anymore!_ _Please_ _, no more torture,_ _please_ _, just do what you_ _want_ _to me! I'm ready!"_

 _She said, "But that's not what_ _you_ _want, is it? You'd rather I leave bruises all over your back and take you until you're straining against the rope and handcuffs!" Helga untied the rope around his waist,_ _finally_ _, seeing that he was reaching his limits._

 _He groaned, he was sweating all over, "You're_ _already_ _making me strain, every_ _part_ _of me, I just. I_ _can't_ _..." He moaned in pain as she reached behind him and finally uncuffed the handcuffs, "I_ _can't_ _do this anymore! I want you,_ _too_ _badly!"_

 _"I'm not giving you_ _nothing_ _until you say the magic words." She said, bringing her lips closer to his, but refusing to kiss him._

 _He put his hands on her shoulders now, groaning, "You've got to be_ _kidding_ _me, Helga! I don't even get a_ _kiss_ _?!"_

 _She whispered against his lips as she reached down to unbutton his pants, "My name is_ _not_ _Helga, it's_ _Love. I… Love… You_ _. Now, tell me you_ _love_ _me, Arnold. I want to hear you say it!" she reached to pull his pants and underwear down, exposing his leaking and desperate member to the cold air._

 _"I…" he thrusted his member into her hands as she touched it, "Mmm…_ _love_ _…this."_

 _She smirked, "That's right, Bucko,_ _that's_ _the stuff! Now, say the whole sentence!" She took his hands off her shoulders to throw off her bra and pull down her underwear. She was getting desperate, too._

" _I…" he gasped as she grabbed his buttocks to press his leaky member against her core._

" _Tell me you love me or else you're_ _not_ _having an orgasm!" She pushed him inside of her core._

 _"I..._ _love_ _…" He gasped as he felt her hot tightness all around his "_ _member_ _", and that was it. He didn't even need to_ _thrust_ _. He was already orgasming._

 **End dream sequence...**

He opened his eyes with a gasp, realizing that he wasn't on the FTI rooftop. He wasn't even in Scheck's office. He was on his couch, waking up from another wet dream since he started resisting sexual temptations. He gasped, his hips thrusting up. He was worried he would wake up Helga, but he wasn't able to stop himself from gasping from the intense pleasure he was feeling. As his body thrusted into the covers once more, he remembered he had a condom on, and decided to enjoy it while it lasted. He was hoping he didn't over-fill the condom like he almost did a few days ago. He thrusted against the covers again with a groan. He sighed as he felt his body slowly stop shuddering and releasing. He gripped his pillow tightly with a deep breath.

Thirty seconds later, he heard Helga speaking to him, "You okay, Arnold?"

He took a shaky breath as he realized she was up and witnessed what just happened. He ran his sweaty fingers through his hair nervously. He noticed the night light beside his girlfriend was on. He rolled over on the red couch to face her. He noticed by the clock on his night stand it was two in the morning, and his girlfriend was looking at him with worry and guilt in her eyes. He reassured her, "I'm okay, Helga, just a—just a bad dream. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"I've been up for the last hour." She sat up on Arnold's bed, looking into his exhausted eyes with sadness. She replied, softly, "Did you want to take the bed tonight? Maybe you'll be able to sleep better."

He reached down under the covers to take the used condom off slowly, careful not to drop it. He said to her softly, "It's okay. I'm… I'm feeling a bit better now. I should be able to sleep the rest of the night without tossing and turning. Go back to bed. Don't worry about me." He walked over to the trash to dispose of the used condom, and then he walked back to the couch to sit down.

Helga got up from his bed hesitantly, rubbing her left arm nervously as she approached him, "I'm sorry, Arnold."

His breath was starting to become more stable as he replied to her, "Huh? You didn't do anything."

She threw her arms up in defeat, "Yes, I _did!_ I've been teasing you, tempting you, and manipulating you _just_ to get a bit of affection. I've been making things difficult, trying to get you to fail so you would start _caring_ for me again. I wanted things to go back to how they used to be, before you realized you were part of a spell and you couldn't control yourself. _I'm_ the reason you're struggling to sleep every night. I'm the cause of all your troubles!" she breathed, running her left hand through her hair nervously as she sat down beside him, on his left, "Ever since I've moved in, _all_ I've done is made your life _miserable._ If it wasn't because of my attitude, it was my _constant_ teasing. It's no _wonder_ you don't love me yet. You realized I can't change, and you've given up on me. I'm just waiting on you to end this relationship and throw me out, once and for all."

Arnold looked into his girlfriend's eyes warily, and cautiously. He turned his body to her and took her two hands in his. He knew what he was going to say to her would be difficult, but for the sake of their relationship, he knew he had to say it, "Do you trust me?"

She looked into his eyes, tears starting to make their way down her own, she nodded.

He took a deep, shaky breath, and said, "I know you can't change your ways, but I don't expect you to. I'm willing to accept you as you are. I know your feelings for me run deeper than I can understand, and I want to give you everything, but I _can't._ My feelings aren't the same as yours. I _do_ care a lot about you, and I want what's best for us," He swallowed as he watched his girlfriend silently cry, but he knew he needed to continue, "But, I've been thinking a lot the past few weeks, and I can't just jump into bed with you on the spur of the moment. It's not love for me, and I would just be using you. We've gone too fast in our relationship. We pushed too far. That's partially _my_ fault because I pushed the boundaries physically _and_ emotionally, and I should have _never_ done that."

She gulped as she looked in his eyes, tears falling down her cheeks more heavily, "So, your ending it because you don't love me, and you don't want to have sex with me?"

He took his left hand and wiped her tears from her cheeks, starting to feel his own eyes get heavy, "I'm _not_ ending our relationship. I just think it would be a good idea to take a few months to decide if this is what we both want. After all, we're only twelve. Maybe I'm not the best choice for you."

She let go of his hands and said harshly, "Arnold, you're the _only_ choice for me. You've been since preschool when you held that umbrella over my head and complimented my pink bow! Why do you think I used to wear it all the time? My love for you is unwavering and unconditional! Do all our kisses and physical affections mean nothing but lust to you? How can you let my attitude and behavior in the past determine our destiny now? Why does my teasing and bullying have to be the end factor in our relationship?! I thought you _wanted_ us to work, I thought you would be willing to give this a shot. I thought you cared, even just a little bit, for _me_ —"

"—Do you see what I mean? _That's_ the problem. You say you've been in love with me since the age of three. You say I'm the one for you, but you've never had another relationship with anyone _but_ me. Your infatuated with me, Helga. This isn't love for you, either." He took a breath to calm down and said, "When we began this, we both decided to give a shot to something we've never been involved in before. We thought our passion would take away our emotional needs, but it hasn't. We've been looking for everything _but_ love in this, and that's not fair to either of us. I'm not a priceless monument on display. I don't have a halo above my head or go without making mistakes. Just like everyone else, I break, and you're not my go to ' _playboy_ ' magazine. I don't want you to be. You're _so_ much more than a body to look at. We can't even _live_ together without fighting or picking on each other. It was a careless choice to begin a relationship being so young. The only time we get along is when we're touching each other, and I can't do this to you anymore."

Helga stood up from the red couch, and scowled at him, "So, I mean nothing to you now, is _that_ what you're saying?"

He gulped as he looked up at her, "I'm just saying that I think we need to take a _break_ —"

"—You might as well say it, Arnold. It's what you've been trying to say this whole time anyway. You _want_ to break-up with me, for _good!_ Quit tiptoeing around the obvious! You want us to start seeing other people! You _never_ loved me, not _once._ You can't even say the words! I was the stooge on a stage full of freaks! I thought you would eventually develop feelings as deep as mine, what a Neanderthal I was! To think that a person as perfect and righteous as _you_ would fall for a poor sap like _me_." She crossed her arms, facing away.

Arnold sternly spoke, getting up to face her, "I _told_ you that I'm _not_ ending our relationship! Helga, this has _nothing_ to do with you, other than me trying to _protect_ you. It's not that you aren't good enough for me—it's that I'm _still_ feeling my way through all this emotionally. I don't...I don't _love_ you, _okay?_ It's not as bad as it sounds. I _can't_ just fall in love with somebody in a couple months, that's not me. I've never loved another girl my age in my life. It's not that I _can't_ or _won't_ love you eventually, I just... _don't_ right now. I don't love _anyone_ romantically right now. I like being with you and I think there's a good chance I could fall for you later...but I don't want to just use your body while I'm waiting to fall, all because I'm feeling sexually frustrated. You might _think_ you're okay with that, and maybe you are, but I'm pretty sure you'll regret it later. I want to take the time to fall for you and have an honest relationship. I want to do this right and responsibly. Is that really so bad?"

She was crying openly now, and she didn't care who saw it, "Of _course_ , it's bad, Arnold, it's _horrible!_ I should've _known_ my days with you would be numbered. You're only going along with this whole relationship thing because I'm stuck living here and I saved your parents! All it's ever been for you is _gratitude,_ an indebtedness to your personal tormentor you knew you'd _never_ be able to repay. I thought I'd be okay with that, but I'm _not. That's_ why you're not in love with me already, that and my stupid tongue-lashing attitude that I can't change. We _don't_ have a future, you said it _yourself!_ Don't think I didn't hear that conversation you had with Gerald in January about leaving me because of my attitude. You've been thinking about ending it all along, _don't_ deny it! And the worst part is, I did this to _myself._ I put myself in this situation, thinking that you'd love me for me and eventually return my feelings, all because I saved your parents. You played me well, Arnold, you played me well."

He put his left hand on his forehead with a groan, turning away from her, "I haven't been playing you _at all._ Listen, I _can't_ argue with you like this right now at two in the morning. It's giving me a headache, and I've _got_ to get some rest for school tomorrow. I haven't been able to sleep _at all_ lately."

"And who's fault is _that?"_ she yelled back at him, "If you wanted to rest, why _break-up_ with me in the first place?!"

"I'm trying to _help_ our relationship, not _hurt_ it." Arnold tried to calm down and use his words to calm _her_ down as he grabbed his backpack from the floor, and a book beside his bed, "I'm sorry. I've got to go. We can talk about this later. You're going to wake up my parents and then you won't _have_ a place to stay." He started to climb the steps to the rooftop.

She recognized what he was doing and she cried more tears, she tried to get him to stay as he climbed the ladder to go out, "So, is _that_ your answer to _everything_ now _,_ you're just going to _leave_ me here?! You don't even want to _try_ to work this out? I _apologized_ to you, I even let my _guard_ down around you. That's more than I've done for anyone else!"

He turned to her, whispering outside to her before he shut the window, "Go to sleep. If my parents ask, I left early."

Helga was panicking, "This can't be _it_ for us, Arnold. You seriously can't be giving up on us _now,_ right?"

Instead of replying, he shut the window, leaving Helga to cry. She felt hopeless and defeated…

* * *

Arnold slowly made his way down the fire escape and the ladder before walking to Mighty Pete to spend the night.

Once inside Mighty Pete, he took a couple comforters from the closet. He walked up the ladder to the private room upstairs. He threw his backpack down on the floor as he sat on the bed. He put his self-help book on the wooden night stand. He reached in his right pants pocket to pull out two things he'd been sleeping with for the last week, Helga's locket and her pink bow. Tears fell down his face as he sniffed a few times, crying as he looked at the picture of the two of them in her locket. The tears felt odd to him falling from his eyes because he had been using sex to block out all his emotions. Now they were falling from his eyes freely. He gripped her bow tightly with his other hand as he told himself. _I can't give in to this feeling, I've got to stay strong. I've got to—I've got to feel my emotions, or I'll_ _never_ _get past them, even if it's uncomfortable._

And so, he cried himself to sleep. He allowed the pain of having nobody that understood him to engulf him. His tears hit the pillows and sheets around him. He longed for someone to hold him, a parent he could tell all his struggles to.

* * *

 _ **Friday, April 22nd, Susie's Apartment…**_

Olga and Miriam carried the last bit of boxes from Susie's car in to Susie's apartment. They put the boxes down in an empty corner of the living room.

Olga gave Susie a hug as soon as she put down the box she was holding, "Ms. Susie, I can't thank you enough for your generosity and helpfulness and for letting me stay here on such short notice."

Susie shrugged her shoulders, "Think nothing of it, Olga. If anybody knows what it's like living with it deadbeat man, it would be me. I stayed seven years in the boarding house with Oskar. Only six months out of those seven years was he bringing in money to help with expenses. I did _so_ much for that man and I wasn't appreciated for any of it."

Olga said to her, "That's _exactly_ what I did for Robert. I would clean the house, do laundry, dishes, dusting, make sure dinner was ready every morning and night—"

"—And he didn't appreciate _any_ of that?"

Olga said, "Well, I'm sure he appreciated it, but anything I did wrong I was yelled at, screamed at, and punched for."

Susie nodded, "Oh, yeah, I know how it feels to be treated like a servant. I'm surprised Oskar never hit me. He did everything else."

Miriam walked over to the two of them to say, "I'm going to fix dinner for you ladies. Does that sound good?"

Susie smiled, "Sure, that would be very nice of you, Miriam, thank you."

Olga smiled, "Thank you, Mummy!" As her mother walked into the kitchen, she turned to look at Susie, "Your husband treated you like a servant? Why did you marry him?" She was now curious if Susie was feeling the same kind of emotional pain that she had felt for _years._

Susie sighed, "Looking back, I think I was lonely. My mother told me many times not to marry that man, but after my father passed away, I guess I wanted another man in my life that could take care of me. I didn't really know Oskar too well when we got married. I jumped into it too fast. I've never thought I would be the one taking care of him."

Olga was shocked, "Oh, wow. That's _exactly_ how I felt when I met Robert! I thought that he could take care of me, so I jumped into the relationship fast."

Susie said, "I guess it doesn't help that your father isn't in your life right now either. You went through a lot in a couple months."

Olga couldn't help but start crying, "I miss him so much! I was always the perfect daughter to him, but apparently it didn't matter. I hardly ever get a call from him these days. Not only has he abandoned the family, but he's abandoned me."

Susie hugged her again, "Oh, Sweetie, you'll _always_ have a family here, and you'll _never_ be abandoned by me."

Olga broke the hug and started to wipe off her tears, "R... really?"

Susie smiled, "Of _course!_ Now, let's take some of these boxes upstairs while your mom's cooking and get everything set up. Does that sound like a plan?"

Olga smiled, her tears starting to dry up. For the first time in a _long_ time, she felt like she had a home.

* * *

 _ **Saturday, April 30th: Day Twenty-One:**_

Helga walked down the boarding house stairs that afternoon. Arnold was out taking a walk, and she wanted to talk to his mother. Stella was wiping tables and dusting furniture, both her and her husband were off that Saturday from work. Miles was in the kitchen, washing dishes from breakfast.

Helga stood at the bottom step nervously for a moment, before she swallowed and made her way to the living room. Clearing her throat, she said, "Hey, uh, Mrs. Shortman?"

Stella looked up from wiping the table and smiled, noticing Helga, "Hi, Sweetie. Just call me Stella, Dear." She noticed the look in Helga's eyes, "What's wrong? Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Helga used both of her hands to pull at her pink dress nervously before sitting down on the living room couch. Stella looked at her a moment, before sitting down beside her, on her right.

Helga looked down and played with her hands nervously before asking, "How did you get over the pain of being abused by your cousin all these years? And how were you able to forgive your mother for not protecting you after your father was gone?"

Stella didn't want to talk about the painful memories, but she could tell that Arnold's friend needed some advice. She put her left hand on Helga's shoulder and asked, "What brought this up, Helga?"

Helga sighed, "You told me you remembered each bruise and hit so clearly, just like I remember all the words and insults where I used to live." She looked at Stella confused, "I don't understand how you were able to move on from that so easily. After I ran away from being abused, the _last_ thing I wanted to do was help anybody else out, and yet, that's _exactly_ what you did. You took your _own_ pain and used it as an example to heal other people. You used it as a chance to make your own medicine and heal the Green Eyes."

Stella took her left hand off Helga's shoulder, saying, "I knew the experience of living with pain first hand. The Green-Eyed People didn't experience the same emotional pain I did, but they _did_ experience the same physically. After what I had been through, I knew my mission on Earth was to heal others. After getting a job and securing my own place, I got my GED and attended college, and then I learned how to mix different herbs and make medicine. As I was furthering my education, I met Miles. He was the last step before I was able to put my skills to use to help others. It was his mission as well to help people, and we decided to work together. I _still_ experience pain thinking about it, Sweetie. The memories don't just go away. That's why I'm in counseling."

Helga persisted, looking into Stella's eyes, "But how did you _do_ it? There's a difference between people like you, and people like me, and I don't know what it is. I'm stubborn and strong-willed just like you are, I'm willing to be a better person, and I _do_ want to move on from what I've experienced in my past. How can _you_ do it, but _I_ can't?"

"It doesn't happen overnight, Sweetie. It took me many years to move on from what my cousin did to me. It took many nights of tears and pain to reach the place where I am today. It took lots of forgiveness and many years in therapy to finally let go of what happened."

Helga said, "But you _did_ let go, so why can't I? I've been dealing with being neglected and emotionally scarred since I was three. You would _think_ without my family being around, I would be able to forget about them. You would _think_ after eight years of being stuck in a situation I wasn't happy in that I wouldn't become what I hated most of all: my _d_ _ad._ I _never_ wanted to be like him, arrogant and hateful toward everybody, but I don't know how else to be. I was never taught how to love." She remembered what Arnold said to her and sighed, "I don't even think I know what love _is."_

Stella said, "Your awful young to worry about such things, Sweetie. As you go on in life and have different experiences, it makes you the person that you are. As you go through relationships and trials, you'll learn how to be a better person and forgive others. Don't put yourself down just because you haven't gotten there yet. You're _so_ much more than that, and I do believe that inside you with all that hurt is a young woman that's willing and ready to change the world when her time comes."

Helga said, "But... I don't _want_ to be this mean and uncaring person anymore. I don't _want_ to be this bully that's constantly putting up her guard to protect herself. I don't _want_ to be this person that's constantly hitting or putting down others to get respect. I'm getting too old to put up these defenses."

Stella said, "Sometimes you need to be that harsh and angry person to be resilient. It might be your way of coping with what life has dealt you. Helga, I've been abused, but in no way would I understand what you've been through in your childhood. The only way you could recover and change yourself would be to seek counseling or maybe a psychiatrist, to help with your feelings of negativity. Nobody can change you but yourself. You have to _want_ to be different." Stella hugged her gently and reassured her, "But, Dear, I've gotten to know you over the last six months, and you're not a bad person. You have a lot of emotional and physical baggage from your past, and I think you use your anger and negativity to protect yourself from disappointment, and maybe to cover up your _own_ insecurities. All I've ever asked you was to get along with everybody here, I'm not asking you to change who you are." Stella took Helga's shoulders gently to say, "Don't _ever_ think you're any less because you have a problem. Everybody has problems on this Earth. The only difference between each person is how they choose to handle them."

Helga's ears perked up as she heard the boarding house door open, and she saw Arnold walk in as a couple of animals ran out the door. She avoided his eyes and looked away. She _still_ remembered their discussion over a week ago, the one where he said he needed a _break_ from their relationship.

Stella got up from the couch and smiled at her son, "Hey, Sweetheart, where have you been hiding out?"

Arnold sighed as he hung up his jacket, "I took a walk around the block to clear my mind."

Stella said, "Now, Sweetheart, my therapist has been telling me that Miles and I aren't treating you according to your age, and that we should be treating you like you're older."

Arnold turned around to look at her and shrugged, "Mom, it's fine. I _can't_ expect you to know me after being out of my life for ten years, and I realize you guys went through a lot in San Lorenzo. You can treat me however you're comfortable treating me. Grandma and Grandpa already give me plenty of chores and responsibilities to work with around the house." He looked down, trying to hide his disappointment from his mom.

It was then that Miles stood at the kitchen doorway, hearing his son come in from outside, "But, are they age appropriate, son?"

Arnold sighed, looking away from his father, "I guess I've grown used to it. Collecting rent and fixing house appliances isn't _that_ big of a deal. It gives me working experience for later in my life."

Miles and Stella glanced at each other curiously before Miles nodded at her, saying to Arnold, "That seems to be _a lot_ for a twelve-year-old. He gave me a lot of responsibilities when I was your age, too." Miles started walking back in the kitchen and said, nonchalantly, "By the way, son, come give me a hand in the backyard. I want to teach you how to use the grill."

Arnold blinked in shock, out of _all_ the things to hear his father say, he wasn't expecting _that._ Stella smiled as Arnold said, "You're going to teach me how to… how to use the grill? I… _really?"_

Stella smiled at her husband as he walked over to the doorway again with a grin, "Well, I'm sure you wouldn't mind learning a couple recipes. I'm taking a guess your Grandma and Grandpa already taught you the basics of cooking on the stove."

Arnold was too speechless to say anything.

Stella smiled, "Come on, Arnold, let's head out to the backyard."

For the first time in a while, he had _hope._ He smiled at his mom, "Okay, sure!"

Helga watched Arnold walk in the kitchen with his mother, and then she slowly made her way up to Arnold's room to sleep on the couch. After Arnold put a hiatus on their relationship, she had been sleeping all the time. It was better than being awake in the real world, at least for _her._ She had nothing left anymore.

* * *

Stella was shaking Helga's shoulders to wake her up. She said, "Helga, it's nearly six in the evening. Don't you want to come outside and have dinner?"

Helga wiped her eyes and sat up, remembering that Miles and Arnold were cooking dinner, "Is it done?"

Stella said, "Miles and Arnold are finishing up on the grill right now."

Helga said, "Forgive my ignorance, but _criminy_ , do I _really_ have to eat outside with all the other eccentric boarders?"

Stella walked over to the door as Helga got up and followed her, she didn't want to leave Arnold's room. Stella said gently to her, "Now, Helga, I know you don't want to participate in family activities, but this just might help you with those concerns that you were talking with me about earlier."

Helga rolled her eyes as they walked down the steps. She already heard Gertie singing " _Camp-town Races"_ from _outside_. _Maybe it will cause more reasons for_ _concern_ _, sure. I don't think it will do much to change my_ _attitude_ _._

As Helga and Stella walked out back, they noticed Oskar arguing with Phil.

Oskar said, "Please, Grandpa, give me one more month to find a job!"

Phil said, "You've got until the end of May and if you don't have one by then, you're evicted. I've already put in the court notice and you've been served. I've had it with your lying and cheating ways, and _don't call me 'Grandpa'._ I'm not your Grandpa and you're _not_ part of the family. You're lucky I'm even giving you dinner, and Gertie, _stop_ riding that stupid plastic horse outside. People are going to call the mental asylum on you!"

Gertie laughed as she continued doing what Phil told her _not_ to do, riding on a plastic horse, back and forth around the patio tables.

Stella said to Phil as she walked outside with Helga, "Dad, is everything ready?"

Phil turned to his daughter in law to say, "Sure is. Miles and Arnold are starting to serve everyone."

It was with those words that Stella noticed her husband and son bringing plates to the table. Stella grabbed a seat next to Mr. Hyunh's smiling face, and she said to her husband, "Did you guys need any help, Miles?"

Miles shook his head with a smile as he gave out plates, "We're good, Stella."

Phil yelled out to the noisy crowd, "Alright, alright, everybody simmer down. This is _supposed_ to be a cookout, not a board-room meeting."

As everyone started to eat, Miles put the tongs and other cooking utensils off to the side. Arnold made sure the fire was out and the grill was turned off.

Miles went to sit next to his wife as Arnold walked over to Helga, who wasn't sitting down at all, just watching everything from the distance. Arnold said to her, "Aren't you going to sit down and eat something?"

Helga looked away and said to him, "For some reason, I'm not feeling hungry." She turned around to walk back in the boarding house, "Goodnight, Arnold."

Arnold watched her a moment before turning to his dad and saying, "Dad, can Helga and I eat upstairs?"

Miles smiled, "Sure, Arnold. Anything for my young cook." He winced as Stella elbowed his shoulder forcefully, "Sweetheart, what is _that_ for?"

Stella whispered harshly, "I just got done telling Helga that she needed to eat _outside_ with all the other boarders."

Arnold rubbed his left arm nervously, and whispered, "I don't think she feels like part of the family."

Phil looked at his grandson, "Well, why _doesn't_ she? The girl's been living here for six months. You would _think_ she would be comfortable around everyone by now." Phil turned to Miles, "Son, can you pass the biscuits?"

Miles smiled, passing a basket of biscuits to him, "Sure thing, dad."

Arnold looked at his mother with a worried face. He put his hands together, saying, " _Please,_ Mom? I think she's _depressed."_

Stella sighed as she glanced at her husband's persuasive smile. She turned back to her son and sighed, " _Okay,_ Arnold. Get her a plate together, but this is the _last_ time she refuses to spend some quality time with the family. If she lives here, she needs to go by our rules."

Phil teased Arnold, knowing that nobody _else_ knew about his grandson's secret relationship, "Go on, Arnold. Make sure your little _girlfriend's_ okay." Phil noticed Oskar trying to steal the biscuits off his plate. He scowled at him, saying, "And if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your hands off my biscuits and get your own, you old weasel!" Oskar gasped in shock at being caught.

Arnold smiled, "Thanks, you guys."

Miles reminded him, "Arnold, don't forget to prepare yourself a plate as well. After all, you helped _make_ it."

Arnold walked over to the grill and put together two plates with the tongs, commenting to him, "Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, son."

* * *

The door of Arnold's room was wide open, so he walked in with the two plates. He noticed Helga already asleep on the couch. He sat the two plates on his bed and sighed, putting his hands on his hips and looking at her, feeling defeated. He _still_ wasn't sure what to do about him and Helga's relationship, but he was willing to guess that she was upset because of _him._ She hadn't been eating properly all week.

Arnold approached her, saying softly, "Helga, you _have_ to get up and eat something. I brought you dinner."

She was half-asleep and rolled over to look at her love. She sighed, "Oh, what's the use? I've got nothing to live for anymore, and no reason to try."

He walked over to shut his bedroom door. He sat on the floor beside the couch Helga was laying on, to talk to her face, "Oh, come on, _get up._ Do you _really_ still think I ended the relationship?"

She huffed in irritation, "Oh, what do _you_ think? You've been spending the nights out every other night, you never talk with me at home anymore, and you avoid me like the plague at school. For somebody who just wanted to take a _break,_ it sure seems like a lot more than _that."_

He sighed as he rubbed his neck, and explained, "It's been twenty-one days for me."

Helga's defeated eyes stared into his tired ones, "Twenty-one days since _what?"_

He bit his bottom lip, "Since I almost took your virginity in the shower."

She paused a moment as she realized something _else,_ and it blew her mind. She sat up quickly, glancing at him before saying, "You haven't gotten yourself off for _twenty-one days?!"_ Arnold nodded as she gasped in shock, "Is the spell still _on_ you?"

He nodded again with a sigh, "It's still on me, I can tell."

"How in the—what in the—how in the _world_ are you _doing_ this?!"

Arnold sighed as he tried to explain for the _millionth_ time to her, "It's something I _have_ to do. I don't have a choice."

She got up on her feet, pacing frantically, "But, I don't _understand_ this. You have a spell _and_ an addiction you're fighting, and you're actually _conquering_ it?!"

 _It sure doesn't_ _feel_ _like I am. If I was, wouldn't I be struggling a lot less?_ He said, aloud, _"_ The purpose of taking a break from our relationship was so that we both could regroup. _I_ need to resist the spell, _you_ need to decide if this relationship is what you want. As I said, it _isn't_ a breakup. We're still together."

She crossed her arms as she sat down on the floor next to him, to his left, "Oh, don't give me _that."_

He put his left hand on his chest, looking at her, "It's the _truth._ I haven't lied to you before and I don't intend to start now. I never ended _anything,_ I care _too_ much about you to end our relationship."

She felt like crying, "But, you can't even _tell_ me that you love me, why not?"

He closed his eyes in frustration before grabbing her hands in front of him and looking into her sad eyes. She looked away as he used his thumbs to run them across the tops of her hands delicately.

He felt his heartbeat speed up. The first physical contact with somebody in _weeks,_ and he felt like he was _starving_ for it. He didn't know whether he was doing this right or not, but he didn't want her to be depressed anymore. He sighed, "Helga, _look_ at me."

She turned her blue eyes back to him to look into his green eyes. His pupils were dilated, and she could almost _swear_ she saw tears in them. She whispered, tears starting to form in her own eyes as well, "What?"

Tears fell down his eyes as he wiped _her_ tears away with his hand, he whispered, "I'm still your boyfriend." He leaned over to her to meet his lips with hers, gently.

She shivered as his tongue licked against her lips gently, until she parted them to let him in.

She felt his tears falling freely, they were wetting her lips, and it made _her_ cry that _he_ was crying. She started to choke as she cried some more, not believing that he was showing his affections for her again and even crying with her.

He sensed she was having difficulty catching her breath and hesitantly broke the kiss to look into her blue eyes. She whimpered with tears in them.

He put his left hand on her right cheek affectionately, " _Shh,_ it's okay, I'm here. _Stop_ crying."

She looked at him, tears were rushing down his face, " _You_ stop crying, _criminy,_ what are _you_ crying for?" She cried softly, worried about _him._

He tried to wipe her tears with his left hand, now noticing that his sight was getting a bit blurry as well. He pulled his left hand away from her and blinked in surprise that he really _was_ crying. He smiled sadly at her. He promised her, "If _you_ stop crying, _I'll_ stop." He breathed harshly, "I can't _stand_ to see you in pain anymore."

She wiped the rest of her tears away with her own hands, as she hesitantly said to him, "But, you said you didn't _want_ this?"

He groaned as he pulled her on top of him and laid back on the floor. She gasped in shock and looked at him as he said to her, hoarsely, "You don't _know_ what I want." And claimed her lips again.

She parted her lips quickly this time, quickly swapping tongues with her love. She enjoyed every second of making out with him. This _had_ to be love, _right?_

He went around her tongue a third time, then a fourth, then a fifth. He _needed_ to stop. He was _already_ feeling like doing _much_ more than kissing.

It was _way_ too soon when Helga felt Arnold pull back from Frenching her, and he groaned deep in his throat, breathing roughly.

She looked at him, worried. She ran her left hand over his sweaty forehead and then into his blond hair. She looked into his dark eyes, which seemed to stare back at her, darker than they were before. She whispered, "You okay?"

He swallowed before taking another deep breath, and then he felt his body shiver and twitch below her.

She gasped as she felt it too. It was something she hadn't felt in a _long_ time. She stared at him in shock, although she wondered why she was surprised. Of _course,_ he was turned on by them French kissing. He had a _spell_ on him.

He was _way_ too close to the edge now, and admitted to her in a whisper, "We _need_ to stop."

She nodded as she got up from the floor and sat on the couch again, completely forgetting about the food he brought up. She watched him.

Arnold got up from the floor slowly and _tried_ to calm down, but his whole body was shaking, needing something that he could _not_ give it. He was close to actually " _finishing_ ", _just_ from _kissing._ What could he _do?_ How could he say no _now?_ Especially with all the boarders outside.

Had he pushed too far to stop himself, all because he didn't want her to be depressed?

Helga rubbed her left arm nervously and turned away as Arnold adjusted his pants before walking over to his bed and grabbing Helga's plate. He walked back to the couch, feeling a bit shaky as he handed her the plate. He didn't _dare_ say anything. He needed to get his mind on something else, besides his girlfriend, who was sitting in front of him.

She whispered to him between bites, starving, "I'm sorry. I pushed too far, Arnold."

He groaned, running his left hand through his sweaty hair. He whispered, "It's not your fault, but I can't stay here right now. Not with you in front of me and everyone outside." He felt like he was going to _explode._

She raised an eyebrow, "What? Football Head, you've hardly gotten any sleep in the last two _weeks._ I can see the exhaustion in your eyes. Don't you think going to Mighty Pete tonight is out of the question? You've went there, what, five times _already_ in the last seven days? And what if your parents come upstairs and ask me where you are?"

He took a step back, even though he didn't _want_ to. He whispered, "Eat both my plate _and_ yours, I know you're hungry enough to. If my parents ask, tell them I'm staying with friends. I'll try to explain everything to them when I get home tomorrow morning."

She put her plate off to the side and whispered, "But, I _worry_ about you, Arnold. You shouldn't be out every night because of me. If _I'm_ the temptation for you, shouldn't _I_ be the one leaving?"

He whispered back, "I don't want you staying somewhere by yourself. I won't be long. I'll be back early in the morning, as soon as I get control over myself."

Helga offered, "And what if you _stay?"_

A couple scenarios past through his mind, ones that both made his body groan, and his mind cry in pain. He said to her, "You know what will happen if I stay," he kissed her softly on the lips before making his way up to the fire escape.

She watched him, this time, understanding what his motives were about. She yelled, "Hey, Football Head!"

He turned to look at her after he got outside.

She chanced a smile, and admitted, "I love you."

He said, "I know you do. I'll miss you." And with that, he closed the window and left.

She stared at the place he previously was, both speechless and confused. _How in the_ _heck_ _is he doing this? Even Miriam and Olga couldn't change their behavior, and_ _I_ _sure the heck can't. What's he doing different?_

She blinked as she realized something. There really _was_ a glimmer of hope.

Arnold was her glimmer of hope, he always _had_ been, even _before_ his sexual struggle.

And she _wasn't_ going to bed that night until she talked to him.

* * *

 _ **Sunday, May 1st: Day Twenty-Two:**_

Helga was laying on the couch with both hands behind her head, waiting for Arnold. It was four in the morning, and he _still_ hadn't come home.

Finally, she heard footsteps on the roof and sat up on the couch. She watched the skylight window open and Arnold walked in silently. He was being quiet because he _probably_ thought she was asleep.

As soon as he stepped off the bed, he gasped in surprise at his girlfriend sitting on the couch. He put his left hand over his chest, taking a deep breath, before whispering, "Helga, you scared me. What are you still doing up?"

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him, "The jig is up, Arnold."

"What are you talking about? Is something wrong?" He sat down on her left.

She turned to him, "What do you _think,_ Bucko? I've been waiting for you to get home all _night._ Besides, I need to talk to you about some stuff."

He sighed, "I'm sorry for worrying you, but that was _never_ my intention. Listen, why don't you head over to my bed and get some rest. We can talk later. I'll probably collapse in a matter of minutes."

"I'm not going _anywhere_ until we talk. You've gone twenty-two days with nothing but wet dreams to release your frustrations. I want to know _how."_

He yawned in his left hand before saying, "Can't this wait until _morning?_ I'm _exhausted,_ Helga."

She said, "You've got all _day_ Sunday to sleep. I want answers, _now."_

He said, tiredly, "I _had_ to do this because I didn't want to go too far. We've already gone through this."

She said, "I didn't ask _why_ , I already _know_ why you're doing this. I asked _how."_

He raised an eyebrow in confusion, "How?"

She raised her arms, " _How_ are you doing this, _how?!"_ she stood up, trying to put the impossible situation together in her mind, "What you're doing is technically _impossible_! Can't you _die_ from built up sexual tension? Don't your stress levels skyrocket from high testosterone levels? Can't you _collapse_ from lack of sleep? Besides that, how are you even _distracting_ yourself from all those naughty thoughts?! And _don't_ tell me you don't have them, because anybody that used to look up dirty images has _got_ to have some naughty thoughts." She turned to him and tapped her left foot, waiting for his answer impatiently.

He groaned and looked away in embarrassment, "Well, my sexual tension seems to go down when I have a wet dream, which is about three times a week," he rubbed his left arm nervously, continuing to speak, "My stress levels usually reset after that, and I'm able to get some sleep. I still have the same thoughts and feelings that I did before. I just know I have to walk through them and not let them consume me or I'll give in."

"How do you _do_ that _?_ How do you go without " _giving in_ "? _"_ she put her left hand out in emphasis.

He turned back to her and sighed, "It's difficult. I don't know how to explain it. I spend a lot of time distracting myself and meditating, and when the urges get to be too much, I usually shower or take a walk."

She paused a moment before saying, "That's it? There's _got_ to be more to it than _that!"_

"There is, but it's hard to explain."

She groaned, sitting next to him again on his right, "You're not understanding what I'm asking you, are you?"

He looked at her, "What did you want to ask me?"

She took a deep breath, putting her left arm on his shoulders, "Bottom line, I want you to help me."

Arnold blinked, not understanding, "You… don't understand our math homework again?"

Helga smacked her head with her right hand, not believing his stupidity. She looked at him, "No, this _isn't_ homework. This is real life, Bucko. Something I'm not good at facing on my own."

"You seem to be doing just fine to _me._ Your parents left you and you're still going to school. You're persevering despite all your obstacles."

She took her left arm off his shoulders and looked down, feeling ashamed, "No, I'm not, Arnold. How can you even _say_ that? I've _never_ been good at handling rejection and insults. You know that more than anyone. It's turned me into a hateful person, and middle school is only five months away. I'm _sick_ of the disguises and all the aggression. I want to actually _make_ something of myself and my life."

"I'm not understanding how you want me to help you."

She felt like pulling her hair out. She raised her voice, "Do I have to _spell_ it out? I mean, it seems obvious to _me_ what I'm asking you to do. I want to stop being a _bully!_ I want to get along with _people!_ I want to keep my assertiveness but throw away the aggression! I want to be able to have conversations with people my age without picking fights! I don't accept myself as I am! I want to change, Arnold, and I want _you_ to help me!"

He stared into her pleading eyes a moment before he said, "You know what? I'm sleep deprived, and you must be too. If your too tired to move, I'll just take the bed tonight and you can take the couch." He walked over to his bed to lay down. Once he was covered up, he said to her, "Goodnight."

She stared a moment, " _What?_ Did you even _listen_ to what I just said to you, or did you ignore that entirely?" She walked over to his bed, "Arnold, I'm _serious_. I'm _dead_ serious. I don't _want_ to be this way anymore. Didn't you agree mere _months_ ago that I needed to change? Why are you not agreeing with me _now?_ What's _with_ you? I'm ready to change for myself and I've been thinking about it for _months!_ Isn't this what you've always _wanted?"_

He closed his eyes, "I think you're just tired. You're not thinking about what you're saying. I accept you as you are, so does my family, and it's not an easy thing to change a stronghold like you have. I'm not asking you to change anymore."

Her eyes widened, "Are you telling me that you're _not_ going to help me? You've got to be _kidding_ me! You've been _begging_ me to be different for _years,_ and when I _finally_ come crawling to you for help, you turn me down?!"

He opened his eyes and said to her, honestly, "If you're really serious about this, I think you should get some rest first. Sleep on it before you make any permanent decisions." He wrapped himself up tighter in his covers, his body temperature dropping from being so tired.

Seeing he was falling asleep, she tried another approach, "I've hit rock bottom, Arnold."

He opened his eyes slightly, "Do you even _know_ what rock bottom is?"

Helga found it ironic that only six months ago she was asking _him_ that very question…

Seeing she wasn't saying anything, Arnold explained, "Rock bottom is when you're crying heavily while looking at images that are _supposed_ to bring you pleasure. It's those times you're sneaking around and hiding out, to keep from being caught doing something that could get you arrested. Rock bottom is when you've exhausted all your other options, burned all your bridges, but _still_ want to do the right thing. Rock bottom is when you've got nobody that understands your struggle and nobody to help you, it's when your only true friend is yourself." Helga stared at Arnold speechless as he continued to watch her with curiosity. He said, "I can't help _anybody_ when I have a deep problem like this. Why do you think I stopped helping everybody in our class a month ago? It's because I'm focusing all the attention on helping _myself._ Addictions aren't easy to overcome. Emotional strongholds grip every _part_ of you."

Helga blinked a few times in shock, and then said to him, "How many of those self-help books have you read? I _swear_ you sound like an encyclopedia. "

He groaned, "I _can't_ help you. I almost messed up today."

"Seriously, Arnold, you're practically _cured._ Sure, you can start helping others again, especially _me."_

"There's some things that you have to do on your own. I have faith that you can do it."

"Appreciate the sentiments, Arnold-o, but I've already exhausted all my options, like you said."

"Oh, come on, Helga. You haven't tried _everything_ in the book yet. You _have_ to give yourself time."

She walked over to him, sitting on his bed, "I _have_ tried everything, Arnold. I've been trying to change since fourth grade! I've been to counseling _and_ therapy, worked on finding an outlet for my aggression, tried to get along with our classmates _and_ my family. I've lost _all_ my family in the process, and I even punched my sister in the face. I've nearly lost _you_ from all my anger. I've already lost you physically because of my dumb ways."

Arnold blinked, almost giving in, but sighed instead, "I just _can't_ help you. I'm sorry, Helga. I'm not strong enough to help you overcome a problem this deep. You were right in October when you told me I'd have to go through what you've been through to understand. I haven't been through your struggles."

Helga said, matter-of-factly, "Of _course,_ you have. Why do you think I'm asking for your help? You would know better than _anyone._ You've lost your parents _before_ I've lost mine. You've had a hole in your heart longer than _I_ have, you were a _baby_ when your parents left, you told me so yourself! And yes, you've been through an addiction. You're working through one right now. Not only have you been through what I have, you're the _only_ one that can help me. Not even _Dr. Bliss_ was able to change me."

He stared a moment at her and blinked. He was _still_ convinced he couldn't help her, "Well, I'm going to sleep. Good night, Helga. We'll talk about everything in the morning." He turned the bedside light beside him off and rolled over to face the wall.

She sat up immediately and walked over to the light he turned off. She turned it back on.

He groaned, half asleep. He rolled over and turned it off again, falling asleep again right away.

She scowled at Arnold as she walked over toward the ceiling light to turn it on. _Fine. Two can play this game._

The ceiling light turned on. Arnold winced as the brightness overtook the room.

She sat down on his bed again, "I'm giving this one more shot. If you _don't_ want to help me after I say this, roll back over and sleep all _day_ for all I care, but I _need_ to say this."

He opened his eyes and looked at her, warily. He sighed, "If you're _not_ going to let me sleep until you say it, go ahead."

"I don't think you realize what a miracle child you are. Forget about the volcano a second because I'm _not_ talking about your birth, I'm talking about your _life._ You've been solving problems since, what, age _four?_ You've been collecting rent, putting marriages back together, breaking up fights between friends, solving rivalries with the snap of your fingers," she snapped her fingers as his eyes started to close and he groaned, narrowing his eyes at her in irritation. "If you think you were good at solving problems _before,_ look at you _now._ With your struggles and experience, you can do anything." She leaned over to say to him as he watched her with curious eyes, "Arnold, no twelve-year-old can do what you can do. Heck, Miriam and Olga can't get through it, Marriages break up because of it, and people ruin their lives _with_ it! Because of what you've been through, you'll be able to help _anybody_ struggling with an addiction. I'd even go as far as to say you might be better than _Dr. Bliss_ at talking people through it." He blinked in surprise, now moving to sit up and listen to her, "So, you can decide to turn your back on helping me, but you're the _only_ one that knows the answer. You're the only hope I have at changing my behavior. Something you're doing is _different_ than what everybody else has been trying. You've cracked the code, you've unlocked the secret! And if you ignore this opportunity to help _all_ the suffering people out there, your goodie **-** two **-** shoes nature will regret it, possibly forever. Don't you want to help people who are struggling with alcohol and relationship problems? Don't their futures matter to you, too?"

He just stared at his girlfriend before he shook his head in disbelief. He huffed in aggravation, "Why do you _always_ have to hit me where it hurts? How do you know _exactly_ what to say to get me to give in?"

She perked up, starting to smile, "You'll help me?"

He looked away, "I didn't tell you that I talked with your sister and your mom the day I ran into you at the safe-house."

She said, "You talked with _both,_ on the same _day?_ Criminy, I bet you were going insane."

He swallowed the lump in his throat as he turned back to her, "I visited your sister at her house. Olga wanted to know what to do about her relationship with her boyfriend, and I couldn't help her. She cried on the steps right in front of me, and I felt awful because I couldn't _do_ anything. Your mother was staying at a homeless shelter and she _begged_ me to help her with her alcohol addiction, but I could only get somebody to talk with her. I didn't know _how_ to comfort her because I'd never been _through_ an addiction." Helga listened to him as he looked down in his lap, "And now, I have, and I know what they were going through. That deep loneliness and struggle in their hearts. That empty hole they filled with something they thought would satisfy them, only to find out later it didn't. And then, they were stuck, like I was. Like I am."

She put her hands on his shoulders as he looked into her eyes. She said, "You know what you've got to do, right?"

"Do you _really_ want me to help you? It's going to be the most difficult thing you've ever done."

She let go of his shoulders and sighed, "I've got no reason _not_ to change at this point."

He started talking as she walked back over to the couch, "If your _still_ serious about this after we get some sleep, I'll help you. I want you to think about what you're asking me though, because it's a lifelong process. It could take _months_ for you to experience a breakthrough in your ways. We'll have to see how much emotional baggage you have from your past, and then work through it."

"Football Head?" she groaned as she laid down, already _sick_ of hearing him preach.

"What?" He asked her, still deep in thought.

" _Stop it_ with all the deep psychological stuff and go to sleep!" She rolled over.


	16. Chapter 16: Stopping the Bullying

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M rated.** This chapter is rated **Teen.**

* * *

 **Reviews:  
** J.A.M: Gerald and Phoebe's problems will get better later on, and this is not the end of Arnold's struggles. Thanks for the review.  
ForeverRogue: Yeah, I thought of breaking them up, but I'm getting sick of breaking them up and putting them back together, lol. Phoebe and Gerald's problems are going to get better later on. I don't think Arnold and Helga are going to break up, but that's me trying to think ahead. Thanks for the review.  
Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro: Arnold and Helga are going to start to compromise whereas Phoebe and Gerald are going to take a while to understand that. Thanks for the review.  
Anus: Sorry to call out to you using that name, but that's what you wrote, lol. Arnold will end up seeing Dr. Bliss later, and you're right by saying he needs to get professional help. It's not the end of his struggle. You'll see his problem come up again in the next chapter, and slightly in this one. Thanks for the review.  
Kryten: Lots of Arnold and Helga in this chapter! Gerald and Phoebe will take a while before understanding each other's point of view. Thanks for the review.  
Starfiction123: Girl, where is that darn chapter of yours?! This is my _second_ chapter update since you told me you would have LIS updated! XD I'm just picking on you, it's okay, lol. Helga doesn't know what love is, and no, the parents are blind to everything. Later, Arnold's going to tell his parents about his problems. I'm not spoiling HOW he tells them, because I want your mouth to drop when you read chapter twenty for the review!  
Relaxing Pikachu: I understand life gets in the way. I appreciate the reviews that you do leave for me. Arnold's maturity is going to come out in this chapter even more than the last one. As I said to everyone on Facebook, it will be a risk-taking story, but they will stay in character the whole time. Arnold talks about his fears of not helping people in this chapter. I didn't get too much into that because my story 'Cafeteria Confessions' is about that, and I didn't want to repeat what I wrote a few years ago. Gerald and Phoebe's problems are going to stay for a while, I was happy to write the three women having some happiness in this dramatic story of mine, and yeah, even I got sick of Arnold's parents treating him like a baby. I have an outline written for the rest of the story, and I can honestly say it will be a _long_ time before this spell goes off of him. He's also not going to say the words anytime soon. I'm going to let you read this chapter now. I'm depressing, aren't I? XD Thanks for the review!  
Em Pataki: That is true that Arnold's becoming more pessimistic because of the spell, I never thought of that. Thankfully, his wisdom will make up for it in these upcoming chapters. Thanks for the review.  
The Wasp1995: I enjoy making the characters deep and real. The emotion and drama is what makes a story, IMO. The biggest reason Arnold isn't seeking help is because he's embarrassed, although it's true that our generation is all about helping themselves with their problems. His willpower will show through for a while but it's not the end of his struggle, not in the slightest. I don't think Helga knows what true love is because her family's never truly loved her. Maybe Olga has, but it's been hard to see for her. You're right about Arnold's physical reactions toward her showing his feelings, and they show his feelings in this chapter as well. The meditation bit in this chapter was oddly hot to write. I got sick of Arnold's parents treating him like a baby, and I'm the one that wrote them that way. As for Arnold seeing Dr. Bliss? It will be in chapter twenty. Hopefully that will give you enough time to post the last chapter of Longest Monday. I can't post chapter twenty until you're done the story, if I'm being honest with you, lol. Thanks for the review!  
CoolGirl-Pataki: This chapter isn't as emotional, but you have some really cute moments with Arnold and Helga ahead. Twenty five pages of pure unadulterated sap, especially the meditation between them. Enjoy it! I enjoyed writing it LOL. Thanks again for the review!

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Stopping the Bullying**

 **Sunday, May 1st:** _Day one,_

It was nine that morning.

After stepping off a second bus, Helga asked Arnold, "Is this library even _open_ on Sundays?"

He nodded as they walked in the revolving doors together. He whispered, "Yes, it is. It was a Sunday when I went to this library the last time."

There wasn't a lot of people, but she was _still_ concerned somebody they knew might see her. She gulped and whispered in his ear, "Okay, so, I realize we're out of town, but is there a way I can find what I need without anybody in _here_ knowing about it?"

He ignored the shiver that went down his back at her close contact and he led her to the catalog computers. He knew they could look up books that way. He whispered back, "There's no need to feel ashamed that you have a problem. Everybody has problems, but don't worry, we can look up what we need on these computers. The call numbers are on the sides of the shelves, so we can find what we need without assistance."

She breathed in relief and sat down beside him.

* * *

Arnold and Helga were sitting at the computers that searched the library's book catalog. Arnold was typing on her left. She picked up the piece of paper Arnold put beside her, full of titles and call numbers. She read it aloud softly, " _Anger Management Workbook? Assertiveness Without Aggression? Communicating with Others Effectively? Bullying and How to Deal with It?_ Do you _really_ think these books are going to help me? I need more than just a book to change."

He turned to her, "It's been helping _me_. Listen, all we can do is try. This is only the beginning of your journey and the first steps to changing. The least we can do is find information about all these things. You might even find answers to why you're struggling to change."

She looked away from him, "I'm struggling to change because I've been like this my whole _life._ I _can't_ just snap my fingers and be a different person overnight, you said so yourself. Maybe _you_ think self-help books will help me, but I seriously think it's a _stupid_ idea."

He wrote one more book title and call number down on the small piece of paper before getting up, the piece of paper in his hands. He said, "Well, let's try it first. I've got half-a-dozen call numbers for us to search. It should take us a good part of the morning to get through them."

* * *

Helga was currently picking through books around the call numbers Arnold had listed on the paper. She groaned, " _Being the Victim of Bullying_ , yeah _perfect_ book for me. _How to Handle an Enemy_ , yeah, like _me_? _How to Gain Your Self-Esteem Back from Being Picked On._ Sheesh, Arnold. All these books are for kids that _have_ been bullied, not for the person _bullying_ them."

He scratched his chin as she searched the other sections around the area, "Hmm, you're right. I guess they don't _make_ books to help the bully. It's okay, I have other call numbers for us to look up."

She picked up a book from the shelf on the other side and brought it over. She said, "Here's a book on anger management, and they have some over there on assertiveness." She opened the book in her hands, and she could tell right away it was a self-help book, "What kind of _crap_ is _this?"_

He took the book that she was looking at, "Hmm, interesting. They have information in here about changing your thoughts around."

She crossed her arms, "A book about changing my thoughts isn't going to do _anything_ for me. They're just words on paper. I'd rather hear inspirational stories about people who've changed."

He picked up another book on the shelf, reading the title aloud, " _Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: The 10 Distorted Thought Patterns That Will Leave You Stuck_."

" _Oh no,_ Arnold. Dr. Bliss tried that with me two years ago. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a load of crap. Don't waste your time."

He looked at her, "How long did Dr. Bliss have you working cognitive behavioral therapy?"

She turned around to look through other books, "About a month. It didn't do me any good, so I quit trying. It's not like it changed any of my thoughts, and I practically had the techniques memorized when I was in fourth grade."

He watched her go through the books at a quick pace. She didn't seem interested anymore. He said, "Something tells me you're having second thoughts about changing."

She blinked and turned to him, "I'm not having second thoughts about it, I just know these books you wrote down aren't going to help me."

He narrowed his eyes with a sigh, "If you _really_ want to change, you'll do what's necessary to make progress. If you're unwilling to look at these books to get some of the information you need, I'm afraid I can't help you."

She watched him put down the books in his hands and he turned to walk out of the library.

Her eyes went wide, was he really _leaving_ _?_ She ran after him, "Wait, don't leave!" As he turned back to glance at her, she exclaimed, "You've got to be _kidding_ me? You're not just going to give up on me that quick, are you?"

He crossed his arms, saying to her softly, "Look, Helga. I know that you don't want to try cognitive behavioral therapy again, but if you're not willing to give it _one_ more shot, I'm not wasting my time. Your unwillingness tells me that you will eventually give up. If you're going to work with me, this is all or nothing. There's no in between."

She approached him, "I _won't_ give up! Arnold, I want to _change_ , and I want to change for _me!"_

The female librarian hushed them both, saying, "You both need to talk _softer_."

Arnold smiled apologetically at the librarian as he started to walk back over to Helga. He whispered, "Then are you willing to try some of the old techniques you've done before, to see if they'll work this time?"

She whispered back, "Yeah, sure. I'll give it a try again if I _have_ to." She watched him grab the two books he was previously holding, putting them under his left arm.

He stepped in front of her with the books but refused to grab her hands. Physical contact wasn't a good idea for him, so words would have to do to get his point across to her. He said, "Listen, if these books are talking about what it _sounds_ like from the back cover, they're going to change the way you look at things. You should be able to change your thoughts and make them more rational. We can also use the books we read together as a guideline for you to set goals for yourself. It will keep you motivated to change. I don't want you to try to solve these problems yourself anymore, I want you to realize that you can't change on your own, and use the resources we have to do it."

She nodded hesitantly at him.

* * *

 **Later that afternoon,**

Arnold was sitting on his bed that afternoon, flipping through a book on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) _._ He said, "This book is interesting. It's amazing how somebody came up with strategies to change the way you feel about things. I should have been using this therapy the whole _time_ I've been struggling with sexual addiction."

She was beside him on the left of his bed with her arms crossed, " _Yeah, yeah, yeah,_ that's _great_ and all Arnold, but aren't you helping _me?"_

He read the words in the book aloud, softly, " _What you_ _think_ _… determines how you_ _feel_ _… determines how you_ _act_ _."_

She raised an eyebrow, "Huh? What are you _mumbling_ about?"

He turned to her, "If you have negative and depressing thoughts, you're going to _feel_ negative and depressed, which is going to lead you to _act_ that way. How have your thoughts been lately?"

"My thoughts have been discombobulated since I was three, but you should know that. Your _point?"_

"You're _acting_ the way that you're _thinking._ You _have_ to change your thoughts to think more positively about yourself before we even _start_ CBT."

She sighed, "But there's nothing positive _about_ me! I have _no_ reason to feel good about myself _or_ my behavior. My parents left me, and my sister wants nothing to _do_ with me!"

He put his hands together in his lap. He forced himself not to comfort her and put his left hand on her shoulders, even though he wanted to. He said to her, "Your parents didn't leave you. They left because of their _own_ situations and problems. As for your sister, you don't know if she doesn't want to see you. You don't know what she's going through right now because you haven't talked with her in over a month. Am I right?"

She shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so."

He looked in her eyes, "Then, don't use your family situation to put _yourself_ down. You don't have control of other people and what _they_ do, you only have control of how you react to them and what _you_ do."

She said, "But what about you and your parents? It's not like you guys _want_ me to live here. You're only dealing with me so I don't become homeless."

He sighed, "We're _not_ going to throw you out because of your negativity. You should know that _I'm_ not going to throw you out because I would have done so already. I would rather _struggle_ with you than live _without_ you."

Helga couldn't focus on his kind words because she was feeling too negative about her aggressive ways, "Well then, what's so _positive_ about me that you'd want to keep me here? I have nothing _good_ to offer, and nothing to look forward to in my future."

He was shocked at her words, "You have _a lot_ to offer. Since you're seeing only your _negative_ qualities, here's what we're going to do first. I want you to write a list with ten positive traits about yourself."

"Ten positive traits? I'll be working on this assignment for _months._ I can't even think of _one_ —"

"—You're smart. You're a great writer, and you're creative." He held out his left hand as he continued, "You're brave and strong. When facing adversity, you persevere no matter what. You're also passionate about the things you care about and you don't give up easily. You're not afraid to be honest, or to stand out from the crowd."

She stared into his eyes, which looked into hers sincerely. She said, "Huh? How would—how would you know all of _that_ about me? Wait a minute, was that _ten things?!"_

Arnold took her hands into his before thinking about it, "It's what I see when I look at you. I've been living with you for six months, so I can see your strengths as well as your weaknesses. _Stop_ seeing only the negative all the time. You're so much more than your mistakes."

She looked at her hands that were entwined in his. She whispered, "You really believe all of that about me?"

He looked down at her hands as well. He said to her, softly, "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

She was silent a moment as he let go of her hands and rubbed his neck with his left hand nervously. He had told himself _not_ to touch her in any way, and he was already grabbing her hands. He needed to walk away for a bit. He was starting to feel shaky.

He took a deep breath, "Listen, I'm going to take a walk around the park before it gets dark. Can you write me that list before tomorrow?"

"What about _yourself?_ Don't you want to work this therapy _with_ me for your _own_ problems?" _He told me that he wanted us to work together on this earlier._

He shrugged as he made his way over to the rooftop window, "I can think of some positive traits about myself later."

"Like _what?"_ she challenged him. She knew that he was good at seeing others' strengths, but not his own. "Give me five positive traits of yours."

He turned to her, "I'm not worried about it. I'll be back later."

She watched him as he walked out. After he was gone, she grabbed a couple pieces of notebook paper and started writing.

 **Later that night,**

Arnold walked in the window as Helga was sitting on the red couch. She was finishing up her assignment from him. He stepped on his bed and sat down. He said, "Hey, did my parents come upstairs yet?"

She walked over to him, "I told them you'd be back later. Here's my paper."

He looked down at the words, "What's this? Is this your list… _already?_ It's only been four hours since I gave you the assignment."

She sat to the left of him, "I had four hours to work on it, doi! Anyway, I've got a list for you too, Bucko. I figured you could use it for encouragement, since you're struggling with changing yourself as well."

"You… wrote me a _list?"_ He looked at her in surprise, not knowing what to think.

She put her right hand around his shoulders, "Yes, Football Head, _I_ wrote _you_ a list. Criminy, is it so hard to believe that I think greater about _you_ than I do _myself?_ I mean, at least with _you,_ it's _obvious_ you have positive qualities." She cleared her throat nervously as he stared into her eyes. She said, "You're wise beyond your age and helpful to the point you'll give the shirt off your back to a stranger. You're self-disciplined and give advice to everyone, you're also unbearably resilient. You have _amazing_ willpower and you're able to withstand anything, even my tough love. You're the perfect friend and your honest to a flaw. Heck, you let Sid tie you to the tether pole because you're so honest. You care about others more than yourself, and you don't give up on anyone, no matter what." She put her arm down from his shoulders to look at him, sincerely. She was nervous at his silence. She didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. She exclaimed, "Say something already!"

He didn't know what to say, but he _did_ feel his eyes getting heavy for some reason. _She_ came up with more things than _he_ could think of. He softly said, "That's—that's _something,_ Helga. I… I never knew you even _saw_ all of that in me. I never saw half of that in me." He breathed in harshly, feeling touched by her words. What else could he say to her?

It was _then_ that she noticed that he was starting to cry, "Hair-boy, are you… are you, _crying?"_

He wiped his eyes off with his left sleeve, "N… Not really. I just… have something in my eye, that's all."

She was laughing at him, "You _are_ , you're actually _crying._ Criminy, Hair-boy, you really _are_ a sap."

* * *

 **Monday, May 2nd:** _Day two,_

Arnold was sitting on the rooftop, on a bench across from Helga, giving her another assignment. He said, "I feel _blank_ , when you _blank_ , I wish you would _blank."_

She had her hands on her right chin, bored. She said, _"So,_ what is this sappy mess we're working on _now?"_

He looked into her eyes, "When I first started working through my addiction, I had trouble admitting when I felt depressed or upset. I blocked my emotions. It took me awhile to be able to cry again. You might have trouble admitting when you're hurt or angry, and instead of facing those emotions as they appear, you block them out with insults or aggression. Am I right?"

"I _still_ think your reading too many of them self-help books."

He smiled slightly, "If you don't understand, I'll explain how to go through it. I'll use the example of how I felt a couple months ago around my mom and dad." He took a deep breath, "I feel _upset_ , when you treat me like _I'm younger then I am_. I wish you would _treat me like a twelve-year-old instead."_

She chuckled, "And have you actually _told_ them that?"

He rubbed his right arm with his left hand, "I probably _should_ tell them how I feel, but they've made improvements since, so I never did."

She smirked, "So, basically, you want me to be honest to somebody about something that's been _bothering_ me lately. Can I be honest with _you?"_

He smiled, "Sure. You can be honest with me about _anything._ I'm here to listen."

She continued with a smirk, "Alright, Hair-boy, I feel _irritated_ when you _don't show your physical affections for me_. I wish _you'd stop being such a girl for a change and just do me already!"_

He stared at her a moment in stunned silence before hitting his head with his left hand, "Helga, _seriously?_ I just, I don't..." he tried to focus his mind on something _else_ as he replied back, "That's not exactly the _point_ of this exercise."

* * *

 **Tuesday, May 3rd:** _Day three,_

Arnold put a book down on his bedside stand, "So, it's been three days. Did you have any questions for me?"

Helga was on the couch, tossing a baseball up in the air, "Yeah, how long do I have to keep this stupid CBT up? Am I doing it another three weeks like I did with Dr. Bliss?"

He laid back on his bed in thought, "While I _don't_ agree that three weeks is long enough to change anybody, I _do_ agree that we should _start_ with three weeks and see where we are after that. I also think we should have one CBT session every night, sixty minutes a day. I can work the distorted thought processes _with_ you to help myself as well. We'll work together on this, so you don't have to do it alone."

She stopped tossing the baseball and sat up on the couch. She was still embarrassed about her struggle, and said, "Can we do it where nobody _sees_ us?"

He closed his eyes. He was tired from resisting his _own_ temptations while he was around her, "Of course. We can _always_ go up to the rooftop where nobody hears us. That will _also_ make it easier for us not to fall asleep."

She turned to him, "I've _never_ fallen asleep working cognitive distortions before. It's _boring_ and _annoying."_

He yawned, starting to fall asleep himself. He said, "Well, it might be necessary, and it might be _exactly_ what you need to change."

 **Later that night, on the rooftop,**

Helga and Arnold were sitting on the bench across from each other again.

She said to him, "I feel _angry_ when you treat _me like I don't matter_. I wish you would _stop before I do something I'll regret_. Is that better?"

He tried to hide a chuckle, "Considering you didn't mention your _fists_ that time and you didn't explain in _detail_ how you would beat up Harold, that sounds _a lot_ better."

She yawned and said, "So, what's next? We did our CBT and all that touchy feely crap for the day. I'm tired and I _know_ you are. Are we taking an early night?"

Despite his worn-out eyes, he shook his head. "No. If you want to break these chains, you _have_ to keep working, even when you feel like you're making progress." He grabbed about ten sheets of paper on his right.

She watched him curiously, "What are all those sheets of paper you brought outside?"

He turned to her, "These are copies that I got online at the school library. They explain in detail more about the ten distorted thought patterns of cognitive behavioral therapy. I was thinking we should memorize them."

She sighed, "But Arnold, Dr. Bliss and I went _through_ this when I was in 4th grade. I could probably name half of them by _heart!"_

He nodded, "Okay, what are they?"

She thought a moment, "Well, there's _all-or-nothing thinking_ and _jumping to conclusions_."

"What else?"

"There's one where you make "should" statements and say never too much, and there's that one where you try to think in the past."

He narrowed his eyes and put his hands on his chin, "Helga, be honest with me. You don't know the ten thinking patterns by heart, do you?"

She paused a moment, "Well, I _used_ to know them by heart."

"That's okay. I have some flashcards in my drawer. Will write up some flash cards with the distortions when we get back inside and _both_ of us can memorize them together. We'll take turns. Sound good?"

"Flashcards? So, we're just going to keep showing each other ten flashcards until we get the ten distorted thought patterns memorized?"

He got up from the bench to walk in, "That's the basics of it. Did you have any other ideas how we could memorize them?"

She shrugged before getting up to follow him inside.

* * *

 **Thursday, May 5th:** _Day five,_

Arnold was sitting on the red couch that afternoon as he laid the flashcards they had been working with on the floor, "Okay, _now_ that we've memorized the ten distorted thought patterns, I think it's time that we label our distorted thoughts to some of the thought patterns we've memorized."

Helga was laying on his bed on her right, looking at him, "And, what's that in English?"

He turned to her, "I'll go over one of the distorted thoughts I've had recently, and then label it to some of the thought processes. You can follow my example."

She laughed, "Oh, this is going to be _sweet._ So, I'm guessing it's going to be about _sex,_ right?"

He shrugged, "I could go over _any_ type of thought I've had recently. It doesn't _have_ to be about sex."

She sat up on his bed, "Face it, _Bucko,_ guys think about sex every seven seconds. I wouldn't be surprised if they were the _only_ distorted thoughts you've had lately."

He groaned, running his left hand through his hair, "Helga, that's a _myth._ Guys _don't_ think about sex every seven seconds."

"Yeah, right. I'm _sure_ you think about sex eleven thousand, five hundred and twenty times a day with that _spell_ on you!"

 _I can't believe she thinks_ _that's_ _all I think about!_ He was getting frustrated and crossed his arms, irritated, "I do _not_ think about sex _that_ many times a day. If you can do multiplication in your head like that, why do you have such a hard time with exponents?"

"Would you just go _through_ your distorted thoughts already and change them, _sheesh!"_

He thought for a moment about something that did _not_ have to do with sex, and said to her, "Okay, well truthfully, I've been feeling lost and worried from not helping anyone at school. I've been focusing so much attention on myself that I feel I've forgotten about everybody _else._ They used to go to me to help them with their problems all the time, and I've been pushing them away. I wonder how they're doing? I feel like it's my calling to help others. How can I _possibly_ not help them until all my problems are solved? I feel like I'm being selfish and irrational. I feel like I _have_ to fix the world's problems but it's like… even if I fix one thing, ten other things get messed up in the process. I just don't know what to do about it anymore. I feel like maybe I should start helping the others again."

"So, you think it's your responsibility to take care of everyone? Why does that _not_ surprise me?"

He nodded, "I realize something's wrong with these thoughts. I'm going to try to break them down now." He took a deep breath, "I guess it's _all or nothing thinking_ because I feel like everything _has_ to be perfect and that I have to solve all these problems. That doesn't mean everybody's failed at solving their own problems just because _I_ haven't solved them. It would also be a bit of _over-generalization_ because I can't stop worrying about everybody else and putting _their_ responsibilities ahead of my own. I guess I'm also _jumping to conclusions_ because I'm assuming everything is going to turn out awful when I'm not there to change it. I'm _fortune telling_ when I jump to conclusions _._ I'm also using _personalization_ to make it _my_ fault even though everybody's problems _aren't_ my fault. And I guess feeling lost and worried is _emotional reasoning._ Just because I'm _feeling_ lost and worried doesn't mean that I _am."_

She asked curiously, "So, does that change the way you feel about everything?"

"No, but it _does_ make me realize that I shouldn't have all of that responsibility on my shoulders _."_

"Hmm. Interesting."

"Now, it's _your_ turn."

She walked over to him to sit to the left of him on the couch, "Well, I guess in general, I'm irritated with _everybody_."

He raised an eyebrow at her, " _Everybody?_ You _have_ to pick a specific person. It's going to be _a lot_ to distort out if you're going to choose _everybody._ "

" _Hey!_ You said you wanted me to work cognitive distortions and _that's_ what I'm going to do. I can't help it if _everybody_ annoys me."

He leaned his right elbow on the armrest and his head in his right hand. This was going to take _forever,_ "Okay, Helga, go ahead."

She crossed her arms, "First of all, I'm _happy_ to have Miriam and Bob out of my life. Yeah, I miss them sometimes, but I _don't_ miss the way they treated me. I _hate_ that I'm becoming more like Bob every day and it's my worst nightmare to become _anything_ like _either_ of my parents. They're both hopeless causes. I guess I'm having trouble forgiving them. How can I let go of the way they treated me in the past? Just because they're gone in my life it doesn't change how they've treated me. Bob was _still_ a workaholic and an aggressive man that treated me with nothing but anger, and Miriam was _still_ a lazy housewife that was either passed out or withdrawn most of the time. I feel awful that I punched Olga because she at _least_ had the _decency_ to visit me earlier this year to make sure I was okay, but I was so annoyed that she was _still_ with that pathetic excuse for a _man_. I can't believe somebody with a college degree can be so dumb."

"That's _a lot_ to work with, so why don't we start right there?"

She looked at him, "You _do_ realize I haven't even gotten to our _classmates_ yet, right?"

He sat up from the armrest, "We can distort more tomorrow. I want to see you distort those thoughts with your family. They seem to be the focus of _a lot_ of your negativity, especially your lack of self-confidence."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I _guess_ I'm doing _emotional reasoning_ because I think I'm becoming more like Bob every day and those are just feelings. I _guess_ I'm _overgeneralizing_ everything I mentioned has happened in the past, like I'm _sure_ there's _some_ good stuff with it even if _I_ can't see it, and I _guess_ all the things I think about my parents and sister are true, but I'm _magnifying_ their imperfections and probably _minimizing_ the good they've done for me over the years."

He was happy to see that what he was teaching her was working, and he wanted to hug her, but he held himself back. He smiled, "Wow, Helga. That's _great._ You're doing _fantastic!"_

"Hold up _,_ Bucko. All those things may be true, but that doesn't mean I believe them. Also, _all_ I'm doing is labeling negative thoughts to change them into positive ones, but if I keep having negative thoughts, how am I going to stop and change them all? I think about this stuff _all the time!"_

He reached to put his hand on her right shoulder but stopped himself right before doing so. He took a deep breath, "You can choose to let go of your thoughts instead of feed and reinforce them. We'll work on changing more of your thoughts into manageable ones as we keep distorting them each night. After a week or so of distorting thoughts, we'll work on changing your opinions about the people you know."

* * *

 **Saturday, May 7th:** _Day seven,_

Arnold and Helga were on the rooftop that afternoon, sitting in the same place Arnold took the picture for her locket in December.

He turned to his right to look at her, "Okay, _now_ that we've been working on CBT and distorting thoughts for seven days, I'm going to add _meditation_ to the list. Every night we will continue to distort thoughts, but we will _also_ meditate for fifteen minutes."

She turned to her left to look at him, " _Seriously?_ You mean we're going to sit still with our hands on our laps and start chanting 'Ummm' in a loud annoying voice?"

He chuckled, "Do you _really_ think that's what meditation is all about? Meditation is where you focus on your breathing and forget about all the cares in the world. You're not focusing on what you're saying or what you're thinking, just on your breathing. Well, you _can_ focus on what you're saying, but first, you'll focus on your breathing."

Helga sighed, "I've _tried_ meditation before and I _can't_ focus on my breathing without my mind wandering elsewhere."

"I'm guessing you've learned this in the past from Dr. Bliss as well?"

She shrugged, "I told _her_ I couldn't meditate because I couldn't concentrate on it, and my thoughts wouldn't focus on nothing with all the chaos going on at my old house. Half of the time when I _tried_ meditating, Olga would be home, or Bob would be yelling at Miriam."

He held out his left hand to the sunset, "Well, you're here now, and we're on the roof, and _nobody's_ going to disturb us. I would like you to close your eyes and relax your mind."

She laughed lightly, "Nice try, Arnold, but I _can't_ do it." She crossed her arms stubbornly.

 _I_ _… I can_ _meditate this tension away, right? If so, I don't think it would hurt to get physically close to her._ With those thoughts, he took a deep breath before putting his left hand on her crossed arms. She looked into his eyes in surprise. It was the first time he touched her in _weeks._ She pulled her arms apart, so he could grab both of her hands and entwine them with his. She turned her body towards him as he tried to calm his heartbeat down when he looked into her blue eyes. He turned his body towards her.

He swallowed before whispering to her, "Would you try again if I _led_ you? You say that you _can't_ meditate, but if I can focus my mind on other things besides sex, I know that you can focus your mind on other things besides your family. It's been two years since you've tried. People change in two years. Please, _try_."

She couldn't argue. After all, he was holding her hands for the first time in _weeks._ She whispered to him, "Alright, I'll give it one more shot."

He closed his eyes and leaned his head on hers gently. He whispered, "Close your eyes. Okay, now breathe in with your nose slowly until you can't anymore… then breathe out with your mouth… Concentrate on your breathing, nothing else… I want you to keep doing that for me..."

"Okay… I will." She didn't _dare_ move her head or hands away from him. She was _dying_ for affection.

He took a shaky breath. He tried to concentrate on what he was telling her and not how he was feeling next to her. Although he wasn't sure whether he was talking to _her_ or _himself_ when he spoke _,_ "No talking… I want you to concentrate on what I'm saying to you and follow through…" He took another shaky breath, "The only thing you should be focusing on right now… is breathing in… and out."

And so, they both breathed in and out silently. They didn't let go of each other's hands.

He was starting to fall into another world. He whispered to her, "Okay, this is going to sound odd, but do what I'm saying and _trust_ me."

She was in another world as well, "Go on."

He whispered, "While you're breathing in and out at the same pace, I want you to focus on your feet that are on the ground... _Think_ about any tension you have in them and let it melt away… _Move_ your feet on the ground and melt away the tension... After it melts away, I would like you to focus your energy on the rest of your body… Focus on your _ankles_ … then on your _knees_ … then on your _thighs…_ Go slowly up your body and relax each of your muscles… and remove _all_ the tension from them..." He breathed deeply, allowing the tension to melt away on _his_ body as he spoke to her. He was finally starting to feel less _tense._ He continued, "Don't say anything… just focus on your breathing…"

She gripped his hands tighter as she breathed deeper. Nothing was on her mind except for her breathing, and her fast heartbeat.

He whispered, "Now, keep moving up… past your _stomach…_ and your _chest_ … and your _neck_ … and your _face_ … now, focus on your breathing again..." He purred in her ear, feeling her shiver against him, " _Relax_ ," he told her.

She whispered hesitantly, "What am I supposed to do if my mind wanders off like it usually does?"

He whispered back, "Be reassured that it's _supposed_ to do that. It's normal for your mind to think of something _else_ instead of your breathing. What you're going to do when your mind wanders off, is to come _back_ to your breathing."

She breathed harshly, starting to think about her parents again "But... I can't _focus_ on my breathing. When my mind doesn't have a thought for a while, it starts thinking _negative."_

He hushed her softly. He squeezed her hands and purred beside her. He whispered, "That's normal. Here's what I do to help me focus when I'm being tempted to give in." He took a deep breath in, trying _not_ to think about how close she was to him, "Count your breaths... Count one breath for each time you breathe in... One breath for each time you breathe out…" He breathed in again, focusing on his breathing, " One…" he breathed out, relaxing his body, "Two…" he breathed in, focusing on his breathing again, "Three… _see?_ Follow my lead. _Relax_."

She breathed out the tension, even _Arnold_ seemed less tense beside her. She was starting to understand why he used meditation to _relieve his tensions_. She whispered, "Four…" she breathed in, concentrating, "Five..." she breathed out, "Criminy, is this actually _working?"_

He smiled softly as he whispered to her, "It's working. We're both _completely_ focused. Now, every time you breathe in and out, I would like you to focus on a _word._ I'm going to give you the word I use when I meditate. Tell yourself to _relax_ … Focus on your breathing…and every time you breathe in and out… I want you to tell yourself to _relax,"_ he could feel his _own_ breathing start to return to normal.

She was in another world as she said, "Nine... _Relax_... Ten... _Relax_."

He let go of her hands and pulled his head away from hers slowly. He opened his eyes and whispered to her, "Okay, come back to your breathing. Focus on _that_ right now. No words, no numbers, _just_ your breath. Breathe in with your nose slowly… and then breathe out with your mouth…"

After thirty seconds, he noticed that she wasn't saying anything.

He raised his voice, "... Helga... _Helga_ … are you _okay?_ You can stop now. We're done for today."

She opened her eyes, just realizing that he let go of her hands and pulled his head away from hers. She blinked a couple of times in shock, "Wow. This has _got_ to be the first time in record history that I'm relaxed. Where did you _learn_ this from?"

He chuckled. He enjoyed seeing her relaxed for a change, "Self-help books, babe, but meditation has been around to relax the body and mind for _years."_

* * *

 **Thursday, May 12th:** _Day twelve,_

Arnold and Helga were at school that morning, getting ready to take their lunches.

Helga turned to Arnold before walking in the lunchroom, "You _do_ realize I'm still bullying everybody at school and talking mean to you at home, right?"

He stopped walking as well and she turned to look at him. He said, "It's only been twelve _days,_ Helga. Take a deep breath and give yourself time to change."

She felt herself take a deep breath before saying, "Something tells me you're going to add something _else_ to this crazy routine we've got going on."

He nodded, "We're going to try something different that I haven't been trying with myself, but that's because _exposure therapy_ wouldn't be a smart thing for me to do."

"Exposure therapy? What the _heck_ is that?"

He gestured with his left hand, "You've told me that you have a lot of anger towards our classmates. Exposure therapy is where you expose yourself to those situations that would make you anxious and angry. It's supposed to help out with anxiety, but I _do_ believe it would help you out with your aggression."

She put her right hand on her hip, "If you _think_ exposing me to Rhonda Wellington Lloyd and Harold Berman is going to make me less anxious and irritable—"

"—I want you to remember what you're learning in CBT," he said, "I _also_ want you to change your distorted thoughts as you're talking with them in real time. You can only conquer your aggression if you _face_ it. Who knows? Some of the people you previously didn't like may become your best friends."

She already didn't like the idea, "What self-help book taught you _this_ crap? And why would you try it with _me_ before trying it with _yourself?_ Why do I have to be your guinea pig?"

He sighed and looked away, "I _can't_ expose myself to physical interactions with you when it's the thing that tempts me to give into my addiction."

She narrowed her eyes, "You expose yourself to me physically when we're _meditating,_ and you seem just _fine_ to me. It's been over a _month_ since you tried to screw me. Cut it with being over-cautious."

He sighed, "I'm not _strong_ enough, and meditation is one of the things I use to _avoid_ giving in, so I can get closer to you when we do it."

She looked at him skeptically, "So, you're forcing me to give into my anger if I don't change my thoughts. What's the difference with _your_ thoughts? Do you think it's somehow easier for me just because I'm not _addicted?_ I thought you understood me, Arnold, but now I'm not so sure."

He took a deep breath, "I'm not fearful of physical intimacy, I'm just _avoiding_ it. You are afraid of facing ridicule and disappointment, so you avoid those situations that make you irritable. There _is_ a difference. I want you to face your fears, even with all the anger you have inside for our classmates. Challenge your distorted thoughts. I'll be with you every step of the way, but you _have_ to take the _next_ step on your own."

She growled, "Why do you have to make things so _complicated,_ Arnold-o? It was _so_ much easier before you involved _people."_

He walked in the cafeteria beside her, "People _are_ your problem. The anger you have inside your heart is from other people and how they've treated you in the past. Unless you learn how to interact with them, you _won't_ be able to get rid of your aggression. Unless you see people as they are and not how your mind sees them, your thoughts will _never_ change. It doesn't matter how much CBT you practice, you need to see proof that what you're thinking is irrational. The only way to see proof is to communicate with others. It will help you change your feelings."

"Why the _heck_ do you _always_ have to be perfect?"

"I'm not _always_ perfect. You keep forgetting that I make mistakes just like everyone else." He groaned and put his left hand on his head, not wanting to _think_ about his past mistakes. _I'm_ _so_ _far from perfect. You have_ _no_ _idea._

"Whatever you say, Genius."

He pointed over to a table where Rhonda was sitting by herself, "I would like you to sit with Rhonda at her table today. I noticed that Nadine was absent. Maybe you could keep her some company."

"I think you're _insane._ Rhonda and I can't _stand_ each other!" She felt like pulling her hair out just _thinking_ about talking to the "fashion queen".

He said, "I know you don't get along with Rhonda because I've seen you fight with her a couple times this year already, but I think it would be a great real-life opportunity for you to change some negative thoughts regarding her. I'll be sitting with Gerald if you need anything." He walked away.

She mumbled, "This is a bunch of _baloney_ that will _never_ work, but whatever, I'll give it a shot, _just_ like everything else." She walked over to Rhonda.

* * *

Arnold sat beside his best friend, "Hey, Gerald. Sorry I haven't been around to talk much. I've been in the library most of the time during lunch period. Why aren't you sitting with your girlfriend?"

Gerald glanced at him, "I don't _have_ a girlfriend, Arnold. We broke up a couple weeks ago."

" _What?!_ Gerald, why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"I _did_ try to tell you, but you were too moody and frustrated to _listen_ to me. You didn't _want_ to help me out a month ago. You haven't been helping the class **,** either. Anyway, don't worry about it. It was bound to happen. I don't think any problem solving from _you_ would have made a difference."

"What about your _parents?_ Why didn't you guys ask for advice from your _families?_ What about Rhonda and Harold, don't _they_ have a relationship going on? I can't be the _only_ one you could have gone to for advice." He _still_ felt guilty he didn't help Gerald out, and sighed in defeat. _Why did I stop solving everybody's problems? I'm just as responsible for my best friend's break-up as_ _he_ _is._

Gerald said, "Where have _you_ been living? Rhonda and Harold broke up _months_ ago. I also don't think my family would have understood." He paused a moment before saying, "Actually, I don't think _hers_ would have either." _I was the perfect boyfriend, and Phoebe_ _still_ _left me… unbelievable!_

Arnold asked curiously, "What was the problem?"

Gerald didn't want to talk about it, "Just forget about it, man. It's not a big deal. What's over is over."

"Well, are you guys still friends?" There was silence, and Arnold _knew_ that wasn't a good sign, "Gerald?"

* * *

 _I_ _sure hope you're right about this, Football Head._

Helga sat across the table from Rhonda with her packed lunch, and said to her, "What's up, _Rhonda Lloyd?_ How's tricks?"

Rhonda looked up from her lunch tray at Helga, "If this is some _lame_ excuse of yours to try to talk with me about my break-up with Harold, it's _not_ going to work. I chose to break my relationship with Harold because I do _not_ want to be associated with him. I have no qualms about it, whatsoever."

Helga took her lunch out to start eating, "Why would I care about your relationship with _Pink Boy?_ I could care _less_ what you two do in your free time." _Steady Helga old girl, she's just talking to you. She's_ _not_ _trying to start a fight. Those thoughts are in your mind, it's_ _emotional reasoning_ _._

Rhonda sighed, "I don't know. I guess I'm a little bit stressed. Harold wasn't _that_ bad, he's just too mean to others, and obnoxious, and he doesn't know how to be discreet. It would have _never_ worked with us in the long run. He's just not my type."

Helga thought to herself while eating. _Nobody's your type, Princess, but I'm supposed to be nice to you and_ _not_ _see every way that you're wrong. That's_ _mental filtering_ _. She's_ _got_ _to have a nice bone_ _somewhere_ _in her body._ Helga cleared her throat to say, "Why are _you_ so bothered with it, anyway? Rumor has it you two broke up _months_ ago."

Rhonda leaned in to whisper to her, "It's _Big Patty_. He got back together with _her_ and it makes me wonder about myself. I mean, hey, I look good, I'm popular, smart, _and_ I know how to please a man. I don't know _why_ he would get with somebody who's three times my size and has even failed the sixth grade two years in a row. I mean, Patty's _okay_ when you get to know her, but in general, she's not the type to be involved in _any_ relationship."

 _Talk about being a stuck-up snob. Patty's a wonderful person once you get to know her. I still remember when she almost beat me up, but changed her mind. Rhonda, you act like you_ _know_ _people before you even—Maybe that's my_ _own_ _problem. I'm being just like I was with Patty. I judged Patty before I met her, and now_ _I'm judging Rhonda. I don't_ _know_ _the way Rhonda's feeling and I'm assuming her thoughts before really understanding them. I'm_ _jumping to conclusions_ _with her._ After Helga talked herself down from being angry, she said, "You know most relationships people have in elementary school don't last anyway, Princess. The _last_ thing you should be doing is worrying about Harold Berman and Patty Smith."

Rhonda took a deep breath, "I suppose that's true. Our relationship ended three months ago, but I feel everybody's still talking about our break-up. You have a nice way of putting things, Helga, although I _am_ wondering how you and Arnold's relationship has managed to last so long. Don't tell me he's staying with you out of pity because you're staying at the boarding house. That would be an awful way to torture the poor boy."

Helga was starting to lose her patience, _fast,_ "How is our relationship _any_ of your business? Is pity and torture _all_ you associate with us? Have you even bothered to _talk_ with us and be friends? You know, like you are with Nadine? Or is she just your minion you like to have around to give the impression that you actually _have_ friends?"

Rhonda narrowed her eyes, "Don't get hostile, Helga. I'm _just_ wondering how you two have managed to stay together so long. You don't exactly get along with Arnold all the time, you have to admit _that._ Frankly, I don't think you _deserve_ a boy as nice and kind as Arnold, considering how mean and rash _you_ are. Arnold deserves a woman that will treat him right, somebody like _me."_

 _What kind of distorted thought is going to help me_ _now_ _?! I_ _swear_ _, I'm going to strangle her...!_ Helga said, aloud, "You have _nerve,_ Princess. _You're_ the one that ended _your_ relationship with Pink Boy. You barely lasted a couple of months and you think you'll be the perfect fit for _my_ boyfriend. _Please!_ If you want a relationship you have to know how to _keep_ a relationship. I doubt you know how to do _that_ considering your only relationship was so short."

Fortunately, Rhonda didn't take offense to Helga's words and just sighed, looking away, "I suppose you're right. My relationship with Harold didn't last anytime. I just wanted the attention. I thought a relationship would be cool before leaving elementary school behind."

Helga was silent for a few minutes as she tried to calm down her nerves. _Rhonda doesn't realize what she's saying, just stay calm, Helga ol' girl, you'll get through it. Deep breaths... meditate…_

Rhonda said, "I've got a question for you. How is it having a big sister?"

Helga raised an eyebrow, "Odd thing for _you_ to ask, Princess. You don't _have_ a brother or sister, and you know I _despise_ Olga."

Rhonda looked at her, "I was thinking about it because mummy had a pregnancy scare last month. We were sure she was pregnant, and I started thinking about how it would be to have a younger sibling. The _last_ thing I want is for my parents to spoil them and give them all the attention and forget all about me. Was it really _like_ that when you were born? Did they really forget all about your perfect sister and pay all their attention to _you?"_

Helga had to laugh at _that._ It was more of the opposite in her case, and it brought back awful memories, times her parents _still_ paid more attention to her older sister. She was the younger child and didn't know how to take care of herself and they _still_ paid no attention to her. It was a good thing she learned to take care of herself early on in her life. _Yeah, my parents_ _sure_ _paid more attention to me than her... Yeah, right! Too bad there's no cognitive thoughts to distort_ _that_ _, that's_ _facts_ _!_ Helga said to Rhonda, "If your parents were _anything_ like mine, I'm sure they wouldn't even notice your little sister existed."

Rhonda blinked in shock before saying, "I know your older sister and you haven't always gotten along, but is it really like _that_ when she's at home? I never thought it was _that_ bad. I always thought your parents just appreciated the time your sister was home, so they paid more attention to her then."

 _All the time is more like it. My parents have_ _never_ _noticed me because of her._ Helga thought to herself, _Olga's_ _never_ _cared about me. She never has, and she never will. All she's ever cared about is herself. And I have_ _no clue_ _what technique to use to distort all of that. It's like her job is to ridicule and embarrass me in front of all my friends. No_ _wonder_ _she hasn't tried finding me after I punched her. It was all a show._ Helga said to Rhonda, "Olga's always been all about herself, Rhonda, and my parents have always been all about _her._ I could care less though, considering all of them have been out of my life for _months_ now. Family, who needs them?"

Rhonda leaned towards Helga and whispered in shock, "I thought you were still in touch with your older sister. Wow, Helga, this really makes me want to understand you more. Are you _okay?"_

Helga thought she was being sarcastic or ignorant and said, "Save it. Just consider yourself lucky you don't _have_ a big or little sister. If you _really_ want to know what it's like, why not ask _Gerald-o_ instead?" she thought, _'At least he_ _has_ _a family…'_

Rhonda said, "I don't envy you _at all,_ Helga. I can only _imagine_ how it would feel having both of my parents acting like I didn't exist. I get whatever I want, whenever I want, and we _never_ have a lack of money in my house. At least, not since the stock market scare a couple years ago which Daddy fixed, thankfully." She flicked her hair as she continued, "I've been able to tell that your mother hasn't been... _there_ for you over the years. It's no secret she's forgotten to pack your lunch numerous times since we were in preschool. Your father hasn't been the greatest role model for you, either **.** He tried to tear down our Mighty Pete tree-house and help Sheck destroy the neighborhood. I guess I figured you and your sister would have more of a bond, considering your parents and you don't have any."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, Miss Lloyd, but _that's… never… happened_." The talk between her and Rhonda was only serving to make her sadder. _I've_ _never_ _had a normal family, like you so willingly take advantage of at your_ _own_ _place._

"I would surely make a better big sister for you than Olga." Rhonda admitted, starting to feel bad.

Helga laughed bitterly, "Sheesh, _anybody_ would make a better big sister than _her,_ but I suppose you won't have an opportunity to see what it _feels_ like to be a big sister. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if your parents aborted the baby just because of expenses. That's all your family seems to care about anyway, money." After seeing the shocked look on Rhonda's face, Helga added, "Anyway, you should be _thankful_ for that. The little kid doesn't have to put up with you and you don't have to put up with it, either."

"You know what? Maybe I was _wrong_ about you, Helga!" Rhonda narrowed her eyes angrily. _How dare she say I should've been aborted…!_

"Your always _wrong_ about me, Princess, just like you were when you had your little makeover party with all the girls."

"That's _not_ what I'm talking about. I'm _talking_ about your award-winning big sister. Maybe your parents pay no attention to you because _you're_ the unfortunate mistake in their eyes. They didn't _plan_ to have you. Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't abort _you_ when they had the chance."

"That's _it…!_ You're _dead…!"_ It only took Helga three seconds to push Rhonda off the chair and onto the floor. She socked her hard with her right hand, right in the face.

* * *

A couple minutes later, Arnold pulled Helga off Rhonda as Gerald helped Rhonda stand up. Rhonda was crying. There was food on the floor, and the table and chairs the two girls were sitting at were turned over.

It was with all the noise that Principal Wartz came into the cafeteria, walking over to the scene that just took place, "What's going on over here? You know there's no fighting on school grounds. Who is responsible for this mess?"

Rhonda cried, "All I _did_ was say a couple words to her! She completely went off on me and _attacked_ me! She pushed me on the ground and punched _me_ in the face!" She growled at Helga, "If you broke my nose, you'll hear from my lawyer!"

Principal Wartz noticed that Rhonda's left eye was bleeding slightly, and he turned to look at Helga, "Did you punch her, Ms. Pataki? What have I told you about violence on school grounds? I sentence _you_ to a week of detention. You'll be staying in my office."

Helga's eyes widened, "Well, what about _her_ and what _she_ said? Don't words matter at _all?! She's_ the one that said I should've been _aborted."_

Rhonda said, "I didn't even _touch_ the girl, why should _I_ be forced to stay in detention with her?"

Principal Wartz angrily said to Rhonda, " _You_ will get a week of detention as well. Both of you, into my office, _now._ "

* * *

 **Saturday, May 14th:** _Day fourt_ _een, kind of,_

Helga was lying on Arnold's bed that morning, tossing a baseball up in the air, "Face it, Football Head, I'm a hopeless cause that has _detention_ for a week. You might as well give up on me before you _completely_ lose all your hope in me, like _I_ have in myself."

He walked over to her and sat down on his bed, "So, you messed up on day twelve. It's not a big deal. It's _normal_ to relapse when trying to change. Continue at day fourteen. You'll _never_ change unless you keep going."

She continued to throw the baseball in the air to distract herself from her failures, "Nice try Arnold-o, but I was _already_ losing touch when she brought up my family. It only took me ten minutes to go off on her after we talked about _Ol-ga."_ She sighed and looked down, "I don't have much faith in myself at this point."

He looked at her reassuringly, "Well, _I_ do. I have faith in you and I _believe_ in you."

She huffed, "Easy for _you_ to say, and how can you say relapse is _normal?_ You've _never_ relapsed. I haven't _once_ seen you make a mistake since that day you almost took me in the shower. How can you _possibly_ understand how it feels to fall flat on your face in front of everybody, _literally?!"_

"I..." he laid down beside her at the edge of the bed, taking her right wrist in his left hand to stop her from throwing the baseball in the air. She looked at him with her eyes narrowed. He hesitated a moment before speaking, "I suppose in _some_ ways I don't understand what you're going through, but that doesn't mean that I haven't..." He took a deep breath, not wanting to explain his failures for fear she wouldn't seek his help anymore, "Well, I've made enough mistakes in my life to understand where you're coming from. The important thing is to get up and keep going. Try again."

She pulled her right wrist away from his hand, "Trying some of your ol' tactics on me, huh? It's _not_ going to work this time, Arnold-o. I'm a hopeless cause and you've seen it for _yourself_. That's the first time I've _ever_ punched Rhonda in the face." Helga growled to herself, "I guess I'm going to punch all the _rest_ of the class before the year's over now, right?"

He spoke harshly, " _Quit_ putting yourself down just because you made a mistake. You're just _starting_ to change. It's barely been two _weeks._ You _can't_ give up on yourself _yet."_

"Sure, I can, and it's probably the best thing to do." She rolled over to face away from him.

He narrowed his eyes at her, determined, " _No._ The best thing to do is to keep _going_. We're going to distort more thoughts and do some more meditation, and _then_ we're going to try something _else._ We're _not_ going to stop doing what we've been doing because of a couple of mistakes…"

 **Later that day** ,

Helga was sitting on the living room couch, shaking her head at her love, "No stinkin' way."

Arnold sat next to her on the left and put his right arm over her shoulders, "Oh, come on, Helga. You told me when Rhonda brought up your family and Olga, _that_ was when you had a hard time controlling your temper. You've got a lot of unresolved conflict with your family, especially your older sister."

"And do you _really_ think getting in touch with her and talking about our _problems_ is going to solve anything? Don't you think I've been trying that for _years?!"_ She turned away and crossed her arms, irritated.

He put his left hand on his chest, "Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but maybe exposure therapy with Olga would be a good idea."

She sighed, still not looking at him, "I'm sorry, Arnold, I truly _want_ to change, but I'm drawing the line _here._ I _don't_ want to punch my sister again. I have _enough_ guilt from punching Olga at the school a couple months ago."

He reached out with his left hand to grab her right hand. His right arm was still over her shoulders. She looked into his eyes as he told her, "You're _not_ going to punch her again, you're going to _talk_ with her about all those things that have you feeling hurt inside. You might even be able to find out what's going on with your _parents._ I would at _least_ give it a try, even if nothing results from it. It could take a lot of worry and stress off your shoulders, which will help you with your therapy. Tell her about those holes in your heart and how you feel neglected by your family. Let her know how you've always felt like a failure around your parents. Be honest with her about your feelings. You might discover she has some hurt feelings of her own. Who knows?"

She looked at his left hand, entwined with her right hand. _I swear, he_ _always_ _knows what to do to get me to give in._ "Well, I guess I _do_ need to apologize to her."

 **Later that evening,**

The two preteens stepped in front of Olga's old house.

Helga noticed it was empty right away. She walked up to the door to notice a foreclosed sign on it. She swallowed, glancing at her love, who was on the sidewalk, waiting for her. She _already_ felt like she was going numb. Helga said to Arnold, "So, what's the deal? We take two buses here and waste our whole afternoon only to find that her place has been _foreclosed_ on?" _Criminy, I really_ _do_ _have no family. I don't even know if Olga's_ _alive_ _at this point. What's_ _ **-**_ _his_ _ **-**_ _face might've beat her to death!_ She shivered in fear at the thought. She wasn't able to protect her older sister.

He wanted to hold her and reassure her, but he was too worried he would give in to his _own_ temptations again. Touching her on the hands and shoulders had done nothing that day but _wind him up_. He tried to calm her down with his _words,_ "Don't worry, I'm sure there's some information around here that will tell us where she is."

She walked over to him, starting to cry, "Maybe she moved into a homeless shelter with my mom. That's where you said my mom was living, _right?_ It would make sense for her to give her home away to her ex **-** fiancé, either that or she's… _you know_." She didn't want to think about her sister being… gone, but it was the only idea she had.

He put his hands behind him nervously, "Don't—don't think negative about all of this. We don't know _where_ Olga is, we just know that her house is for sale." He walked over to the foreclosed sign to look at it for himself. He suddenly had an idea, "Hmm, maybe we can look up the county property records online. We _might_ be able to get your sister's number from there."

 **Later that night,**

Arnold was sitting to the right of Helga on the red couch after dialing a number. Helga was still skeptical, "I still think this is a _stupid_ idea. So, you managed to get a number online. _Big deal._ How do you know it's even _Olga's?"_

He hushed her as he handed her the phone, " _Shh,_ it's ringing. You can tell her whatever you want. I'm going to give you some privacy and fix us something small for dinner. My parents are working over tonight."

Helga rolled her eyes as Arnold made his way downstairs. She huffed, "Like this will _really_ take a long time. Honestly, Football Head, sometimes I question _your_ sanity."

Helga heard a sickeningly sweet voice on the other end, "Hello? This is Olga Pataki, who is this?"

Helga took a breath in shock. He _actually_ managed to find Olga's _number…_! "H... Helga, Olga, it's _Helga_."

Olga almost dropped the phone in shock, "Oh my God, _Baby Sister!?_ Where have you _been,_ where are you _staying?_ I've been _so_ worried about you lately! I never gave you my number when I saw you at the school!"

Helga rubbed her arm nervously with her other hand, "Um, about that. Listen. I... um... I needed to apologize for—"

"—Helga, what's in the past is forgiven. _Please,_ just come over and visit me and Susie tomorrow. I've missed you _so_ much, Baby Sister! Here, I'll give you my address, it's…"

* * *

Helga walked downstairs in the kitchen a few minutes later. She was silent and speechless.

Arnold was making a grilled cheese on the skillet and heating up some soup in the microwave when she walked in, "How did it go?" He noticed her shocked expression, "Helga, are you _okay?_ What _happened?"_

She took a shaky breath as she walked over to him, "She—she gave me her address to visit her. She forgave me for punching her. She's even renting an apartment with _Susie_ across town."

He smiled, remembering that Susie left the boarding house around Christmas time, "Wow, that's really coincidental. I'm glad to hear that Susie is doing well without Oskar. I've been wondering where she's living."

She said to him, "But Arnold, I don't _want_ to see Olga again. I'm worried I'm going to overreact or say something stupid. We're _finally_ getting along for the first time in _years!"_

He used the spatula to put the two grilled cheese sandwiches on two separate plates, "Olga may not be a person you like very much, but she's _still_ a part of your family. We _have_ to go see her. At the very least, you need to show her that you're okay. Let her know you're staying with me and my family's looking after you. Don't let her worry about you anymore. She's probably been worrying _a lot_ about you."

She crossed her arms, still not believing that she had a _real_ family, "What _family_? I'm merely a tenant in their eyes, and the only reason they're letting me stay is because they believe we're _'friends'._ They don't even realize we're in a courtship with each other. _'If that's even what you_ _call_ _this thing we're doing.'_

He put on an oven mitt to take a big bowl of soup out of the microwave and put it in the middle of the table, "You know my family tries really hard with you. They care about you very much, but they're not going to invade your personal space or try to make you uncomfortable. They want you to belong, but they're not going to _force_ you to."

Seeing that he made them a snack, Helga sat down at the table as he brought over the two grilled cheese sandwiches. She said, "And you don't even want to _touch_ me. You didn't even comfort me when I was _crying_ earlier at Olga's old house. She could've been dead, but you refused to put your _arm_ around me. No, I'm _not_ talking about us having sex or anything like that, I'm talking about basic affections. Physical affections are _supposed_ to be part of a relationship, but you hardly give me _any."_

He gave her a plate with a grilled cheese on it and a small bowl to put the soup in. He then handed her a big spoon for the soup, and some silverware to eat with. He sat next to her, saying, " _Helga_... I'm _trying_ to show my feelings for you in _other_ ways, not just physically. You _know_ why I can't touch you. With it being more than a _month,_ it would be _too_ much for me to get that close."

She was surprised it was _that_ long, "More than a _month?_ Arnold, you're _cured!_ Do you hear me, _cured!_ You've _changed,_ why not bring the physical stuff back in?"

 _You're not helping me resist this, Helga. Not one bit._ He changed the subject, "Anyway, the important thing for us to do is visit your sister. What day did she say was good for her?"

"Tomorrow." She sighed, realizing that he once _again_ avoided the subject.

He held out his left hand, "Hand me the address. We'll look up directions online to her house after we eat." _And hopefully, I won't do anything stupid this time…_

* * *

 **Sunday, May 15th, at Susie and Olga's apartment,**

Arnold was sitting at the kitchen table with Susie, drinking a cup of hot tea. Olga and Helga were in the living room talking.

Arnold said to Susie, "So, what happened between you and Oskar to cause you to decide to leave him? I know you put up with Oskar for many years."

Susie said, "I guess I just realized I was being used. Rent increased and Oskar refused to put a penny in for it. I had to work two jobs just to break even between rent and the expenses Oskar put out. The expenses from Oskar were more than your Grandpa charged for rent every month."

He nodded, sipping his tea, "He sounds like he was taking advantage of you. I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help you both out with your marriage problems. When I introduced you to each other, I didn't know he was like that."

Susie smiled at the preteen, "Arnold, it's not your responsibility to help me out, and you didn't do _anything_ wrong. I certainly appreciated your concern for me at the time, but it isn't your responsibility to fix my marriage or set me up with anyone. I _did_ want a relationship in my life when I was younger, but I picked the wrong guy to have one with. I needed to leave him. These things _needed_ to happen. Thankfully, I was able to help Miriam and Olga in the process of my separation with Oskar. Right now, I'm fine being by myself for a while. I probably should have listened to my mother a long time ago."

He asked her, "Where is Miriam?"

She said, "After Olga moved in with me, she decided to get her own one-bedroom apartment so that me and Olga would have our own rooms here. She doesn't have her license back right now, but because I live so close to the place she works, she's able to take time out to visit. She seems to be doing good. She works at Ms. Vitello's and she's been off the alcohol for three months."

He smiled, "Wow, that's _wonderful!_ I'm happy to hear _that,_ and I'm sure Helga would be as well—"

"—Oh, Arnold, do me a favor and don't mention Miriam to Helga. Miriam told me she wants to explain to Helga everything going on in her _own_ time. She feels guilty for not being there for her daughter throughout the years she wasn't sober, and I think she wants to make it up to her somehow. She told Olga and I not to mention it."

"No problem, Susie. I'm just glad to hear that things are going better." He sipped his tea, slowly, trying to keep his mind focused on the conversation. It was _difficult._

* * *

Olga was sitting on the right of Helga on the couch in the living room. She said, "I was forced to leave Robert when he was arrested. That's when I moved in here with Susie. Since I'm finished with college, I'm working part time at a diner near this apartment. I'm hoping to find something full-time in my college major soon to contribute more for expenses. This _is_ a two-bedroom apartment after all, it's a lot for one person to put most of their expenses toward."

Helga blinked, "Robert was _really_ arrested? Is _that_ why you don't have the house now and it's being foreclosed on? I remember you told me his name was on the lease."

"I should have _never_ added him to the lease. It was a careless mistake. Since the house isn't completely mine, and Robert's in jail and unable to pay it, the house is now in possession of the state. It's not paid for, and I couldn't afford the rent all by myself. Susie and I wouldn't have been able to do it together either. That was one of the reasons it was so difficult to leave Robert. Without his financial help, I wouldn't have _had_ a house. Anyway, I moved out all my stuff and I'm going to start over again. Susie's decision has given me a second chance to do things right."

" _Wow..._ I didn't realize things got so complicated so _fast._ Anyway, Olga, I just want to say to you again that I'm sorry for hitting you in front of the school. It was arrogant and uncalled for, and I wish I could take it back." She rubbed her right arm, nervously.

"Like I said over the phone, there's no hard feelings, Baby Sister. You were upset with me because I was putting myself in an abusive situation. You were looking out for me in your _own_ way. I haven't been great at expressing love to you in the past. It's no _wonder_ you have trouble loving others."

Helga was curious, "What do you mean I have trouble loving others?"

Olga hugged her sister, "Both of our parents and I have _never_ shown you what true love is all about. It's no _wonder_ the only way you know how to express yourself is aggressively. The only way you've seen how to express love is aggressively, from our father. Along with making this change in my life for myself, I want to make this change in my life for _you._ I want to develop a healthy relationship with you, apart from our parents."

Helga pulled away, already feeling uncomfortable being so close, "Listen, Olga, no offense, but you've said this before and every time it turns out _awful._ Why don't you just accept the facts? We're _never_ going to be as close as you want us to."

Olga said, "Because things were _different_ than, Baby Sister. We don't have the influences of our parents around." She remembered that she needed to keep her mother's whereabouts private, "I would like you to come and visit me _at least_ once a month and let me know how you're doing. I don't need to know where you're staying if you're uncomfortable talking about it, but I still care a lot about you and would like to know you're safe. Hopefully, one day you'll be willing to mend our broken relationship and to put my past mistakes behind you."

"I..." Helga fiddled with her hands nervously, "I don't know, I _want_ to, but it's not easy for me to move on. Olga, you've _always_ been the golden child in my life, and I don't think you realize how much that hurts me. You've _always_ been the perfect big sister and I could _never_ follow your acts of perfection. I could never live up to our parents' expectations. It seemed like all you were looking out for was yourself and you didn't care about me _at all,_ unless it benefited _you_ in some way." She nervously grabbed her big sisters' hands and looked into her surprised eyes hesitantly, she said to Olga, "I… I feel _unloved_ when you _constantly want to bond with me_ , if only for _your_ benefit, I wish _you would treat me like the sister I am_ and love me for who I am, flaws and all. Treat me my _age_. Only _then_ can I _really_ spend time with you and enjoy it. You're the only family I've got _left_ and I _don't_ want to lose you, but I also don't want to regret _having_ you. Do you know what I mean?"

Olga started crying, "Oh, Helga. Why didn't you _tell_ me that you felt that way? I told you before that being the perfect child isn't what it's cracked up to be, but it's wrecked me in more ways than you can see. The reason I stayed with Robert was…" she took a deep breath, "so I would _still_ have a perfect reputation with the family. I lost my _virginity_ to the man and I didn't want Mummy or Daddy to see me as any less than what they've seen me as for _years._ Especially Daddy, he only valued my accomplishments and perfection and not me as a person." She admitted, "I've always felt that you were the lucky one, Baby Sister, and in some ways, felt really jealous."

Helga blinked in shock before asking, " _Jealous?!_ Of _me?!"_

Olga said, "Yes. I was jealous that our parents didn't notice you, especially Daddy, even during the times he would get your name wrong. At least you wouldn't have to _perform_ or be _perfect_ all the time to exist."

Helga felt the oddest feelings staring into her big sisters' eyes. Something she had _never_ felt for her before: _pity,_ "That's... that's _awful._ Olga, is that _really_ what you had to do for all these years? The reason you pushed yourself to be perfect was to get our parents **'** _attention?"_

"Yes, that's _exactly_ what I've been doing. It took a failed relationship and being abused to make me realize that I don't need love from my father to be happy. I looked at Robert as a father figure, and I suppose I was trying to get the love from him I always tried to get from our _real_ father. It put me in an _awful_ situation."

Helga looked down at the ground regretfully, "I'm sorry, Olga, I never understood."

"That's because _I_ didn't understand. I want our relationship to be different than all the others. Can we try one last time?"

She looked at her big sister and saw nothing but sincerity in her eyes. Helga said, "If you can forgive me for punching you, then I can forgive you for your mistakes as well." And then, Helga reached over to embrace Olga in a hug.

* * *

It was outside on the bus when Helga admitted to him, "Arnold, you were _right._ I _needed_ to talk with Olga. I _know_ I can do this now."

He stared out the window, "With that said, we need to get back to work. Change is a lifelong process and it could take a _lifetime_ to achieve a breakthrough."

She laughed at all his psychological reasoning, "Football head, _seriously?_ I've got it now, _relax."_ _He's been acting withdrawn and distant, and that's_ _besides_ _the no physical affections. What's_ _with_ _him?_


	17. Chapter 17: Helga on the Couch, Part 2

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M rated.** This chapter is rated **M** for precautions.

* * *

 **Review Responses:  
J.A.M.: **I am _not_ a Psychologist, but I _do_ go through C.B.T., so I know what it's like. Thanks for the review.  
 **Ruth:** I've been wanting to check out your posts in the _Pataki Press_ and I promise that I will soon. You're right, C.B.T. doesn't help for everyone. I keep wishing my _own_ counselor would give me something additional besides all these mind exercises, so that I can get along with my family better. You'll see what's going on with Arnold in this. Can't wait to see your name start popping up on here again! Thanks for the review.  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Nope, that's not what's going on with Arnold, but you'll see in this chapter. Thanks for the review.  
 **Kryten:** I might make Helga and Rhonda talk rationally later in my story. Thanks for the review.  
 **Em Pataki:** Arnold will bounce back and forth as he struggles, and Olga and Helga might talk in the future some more. Thanks for the review.  
 **Guest:** Thank you!  
 **ForeverRogue:** My favorite was the meditation, and Helga keeps making progress, and you'll see what's going on with Arnold in this chapter. You'll probably be able to tell with the song lyrics before you see with Arnold. Thanks for the review.  
 **Starfiction123:** You got me hooked on your story now, and I'm waiting on the _next_ chapter. You're going to have more love for Helga in this one than Arnold. I'm serious, she kind of gets her act together. You'll be yelling at Arnold though. Thanks for the review.  
 **SakiKitty:** Two steps forward, three steps back. You'll see what I mean in this chapter. Thanks for the review.  
 **CoolGirl-Pataki:** Thanks for the review. I sent my response to you via PM. This chapter **'** s a little messed up at the end, Ha-ha.  
 **Nairobi-Harper:** I'm glad to hear you like the story! I think you'll love where I'm going with Miriam, but it will be brought up close to the end of this story. It's a nice, happy ending I can promise you that. Thanks for the review.  
 **TheWasp1995:** Yeah, realistically, it's going to take Helga awhile to change. Arnold as well. You're the only one that got it right on him, but he's not seeing Doctor Bliss right away, he's not even going to talk with her about what you _think_ he is. Oh, sure, he'll bring up the tantric spell for a few minutes, but not much. They get into deeper conversation than Helga and Doctor Bliss do. You'll see what I do. You'll like it. I don't want to spoil too much.

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Helga on the Couch, Part Two.**

 **Monday, May 16th…**

Helga was sitting on Arnold's bed, reading a self-help book.

Arnold opened the door and walked in, holding a bunch of papers in his hands. He was sweaty and looked exhausted. He said to her tiredly, "Okay, we need to talk."

She closed the book and put it down on her left. A million scenarios passed through her mind, all negative. She tried to think positively. She thought, _Okay, just because he wants to talk doesn't mean he's ending it with you. He's probably not kicking you out_ _ **,**_ _either. You're jumping to conclusions, Helga old girl, get a grip! You don't know what he's going to say until he says it!_

He sat on the right of her and laid the papers he had in his hands down on the nightstand, to his right. He noticed her worried expression. He grabbed her left hand with his left hand and said to her softly, "It's nothing serious. I just wanted to talk about the therapy we've been working on."

She raised her left eyebrow and said, "We've been doing CBT, Meditation, and Exposure Therapy. What _else_ are you going to add to it?" _Doesn't he see that I'm making progress?_

He sighed. He rubbed his neck with his right hand as he said, "You know how I've been leaving on and off during the afternoons?"

"Yeah, to go to the treehouse to ' _distract yourself'_ , right?"

He let go of her left hand and said, "Not _all_ the time. I've been mowing lawns to bring in extra money. That's also why I've decided to help my grandparents with extra chores in the boarding house."

She said, "I thought you were doing your _typical_ chores." She thought to herself **,** _I don't get this. What does this have to do with_ _me_ _?"_

He sighed as he looked down, "I _can't_ help you anymore."

"What, _why?!_ I've been doing _great_ and you're just going to give up on me like _that?"_

He was too tired to explain everything, but he tried to anyway, "I'm _not_ giving up on you. I'm transferring you to somebody with more wisdom than me, somebody that knows how to help people professionally."

Her eyes widened, _"Please,_ don't say it. Don't even _think_ it."

He said, "I've brought in enough money for you to see Doctor Bliss. I know you don't have insurance and I called to ask if she would still be able to see you. After explaining your living situation and lack of insurance, I was able to book you a few appointments with her every week on a sliding scale. She'll be able to help you with the rest," he rubbed his right arm with his left hand, "I'm sorry because I had to tell my parents about the therapy. Doctor Bliss needed to go off their income since they're both working, and she needed a legal guardians' permission to see you. Anyway, these are your booked appointments." He grabbed the papers he laid down on the nightstand with his right hand and handed them to her.

She took the papers and thought to herself **,** _How_ _dare_ _he! Meddle into my business and book my appointments without my permission! And who says I want to see a shrink again? And what if our_ _class_ _finds out? It's bad enough his parents know I'm a complete psycho now!_ She growled, "You don't know _how_ to stay out of people's business, do you? Bob and Miriam _told_ the school I didn't _need_ to seek her services anymore when I was in fourth grade. They threw out my _file._ Why are you and your parents forcing me to have therapy with her _now_ and _recreate_ my file? _I_ thought we were making _progress!"_

He sighed, "More than anything, I'd like to continue helping you out, but I'm not a psychologist. I would like to help the other sixth graders too, but I can't," he sighed as he reached in his left pocket and grabbed her left hand with his left one to put money in it. She blinked in shock at all the twenties he handed her as he replied, "It's three hundred and sixty dollars. I've been saving it up, so you can see her. Hopefully, you're not _too_ angry with me for doing this, but I _had_ to. It's the only way you're going to continue to get better."

She counted the money and was shocked to see it _was_ three hundred and sixty dollars, but _how_? He must have been working all his free time to bring in _that_ kind of money so quickly. She never knew he was staying busy to help _her._ She glanced at the papers he handed her with the ten appointments listed. She sat it down on her left and stared at him in surprise, "You're—you're giving me three hundred and sixty dollars? All the money you worked so hard to earn, just like _that_?" He nodded as she said, "I—I don't know what to _say."_ She blinked, _"_ Wait a minute, I thought her sessions were _free."_

He said, "That's only if you have insurance or the school district covers the costs. If your parents stopped your therapy, it's likely you'll be charged for the appointments. Doctor Bliss told me that the sliding scale is forty-five dollars a session, since she's going off my parent's income. It's a discount for people with low income. The appointments are Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour after school for four weeks. It's on the printed paper in case you forget all the times and days."

She looked into his eyes, feeling touched. She said softly, "You really did all of _this,_ just for _me?_ Why would you waste this time trying to help me, and what if your efforts _fail?_ Doctor Bliss may be a psychologist, but she can't do _miracle_ work on me."

He looked back at her with tired eyes, "I know you really want to change, and I want to see you meet your expectations. You won't fail, and I have faith in you. You have the persistence to go on because you're a strong person."

She carefully put the money in her shirt pocket. She was _dying_ to show him how thankful she was for his kindness, and how much she loved him. She leaned over to him and grabbed his hands. She whispered as she looked in his eyes, "Can I kiss you?" she met his lips before he had the chance to respond. It was easier for her to _show_ her affections for him physically than to say the words.

He hesitated a moment before licking her lips with his tongue, and she willingly parted her lips for him. As he put his hands behind her back, she couldn't help but notice he wasn't resisting her advances anymore. His tongue was moving slow around hers **,** though. He also seemed like he had _other_ things on his mind. She pushed him back on the bed and got on top of his hips and continued kissing him. He didn't resist her _at all._ She tried to swab her tongue around his faster, but he wasn't meeting her speed. He even had his eyes closed and he looked like he was falling asleep while they were kissing. She pulled back to break their French kissing. She looked at him confused as she sat up and got off him. She raised her left eyebrow as she asked, "What's _with_ you? You weren't showing me physical affections _before_ and now that you _are,_ you don't seem interested in it. Don't you _want_ me anymore?"

He admitted heatedly, "Of _course_ I want you, I'm just too tired to make out right now." He took a breath, "Anyway, should I call Doctor Bliss and tell her to keep your future appointments?" She nodded distractedly as he sat up slowly on the bed, "Great. I'll be downstairs." He got up and started walking toward the door.

She held up her left hand and yelled to him, "Arnold, _wait!"_ he turned to look at her weary as she asked him, "Are you _okay?_ You haven't been talking much at _all_ to me the last couple of weeks. You seem, different—"

"—I'm just drained from overworking." He sighed as he rubbed his neck with his left hand and said, "It's not you. Concentrate on healing yourself and don't worry about me. I'll see you later."

As he walked out and shut the door, Helga thought about what Arnold told her. She had more motivation to change now. She wanted to change for _him_ as well as herself.

* * *

 **Tuesday, May 17th…**

Helga stepped off the bus in a brown overcoat in front of Hillwood Medical Center, the same mental institution she had gone to when she was in the fourth grade. She didn't want to be seen by any of her classmates. Ironically, she had to see Doctor Bliss the same hours she was scheduled before. She was starting to wonder if Doctor Bliss and Arnold planned all of this together. She wouldn't doubt it. The thought made her _sick._

After taking the elevator up, she knocked on Doctor Bliss's office door, and then peeked inside when she didn't hear anything.

Doctor Bliss was at her desk and saw her stick her head inside the door. She smiled at seeing one of her old patients. She stood up and walked over with her clipboard in her left hand, and a soft smile on her face. She said, "Helga, what a privilege to be able to see you again. Please, have a seat."

Helga shut the door. She noticed her office looked the same as it did two years ago, and she couldn't think of any questions to stall Doctor Bliss from asking about her messed up family. Sure, Doctor Bliss could keep things private, but she didn't want to repeat herself _._ Helga sat down on the couch. She didn't make herself comfortable just yet. Helga pointed to the doctor, accusingly, "Okay, Doc. I'm onto you. Do you and Arnold have some sort of magical plan up your sleeves to heal me? What's your deal? I mean, did you both _plan_ to have me in this office a month ago? Because I think I was doing just _fine_ without seeking medical help." She crossed her arms, stubbornly.

Doctor Bliss sat in the seat across from her. She said to Helga, "There's nothing wrong with seeking help professionally when you have a problem. There're many individuals that come to therapy without having mental disorders to sort through. They do it to sort out problems in their everyday lives by talking."

Helga sighed, "But—listen, I don't _have_ a mental disorder like most of your other patients. I'm not a psychotic case. I just want to stop being overbearing and angry all the time. It's not like I'm bipolar or schizophrenic. I've been working with Arnold for a month with no problems. He just gave up on me and transferred me to _you."_

Doctor Bliss wrote a few things on her clipboard as she said, "I don't think he gave up on you. I'm proud of him for having the wisdom to refer you to me instead of trying to solve your problems himself, and I'm impressed with you for having the willingness to change, even despite all the obstacles in your life." She stopped writing for a moment and put her clipboard in her lap to ask, "Now, Arnold told me on the phone that you were living with him, is that true?"

Helga looked away, feeling embarrassed for some reason, " _Yeah."_

Doctor Bliss said, "Okay, I wanted to clarify that before putting it in your file. Now Helga, I will start by reminding you that all our sessions will remain confidential. It's my professional duty not to tell what goes on here. You're free to admit anything to me. I'm only required to get involved if you're planning on hurting yourself or somebody else. Are you having any suicidal thoughts?"

Helga raised her left eyebrow, "Why would I plan on killing myself? Do you seriously think I'm _that_ desperate?"

Doctor Bliss looked at Helga seriously, "You would be surprised how many people think about suicide. Now, I'm going to start the session by asking you some basic questions, since it's been a few years."

Helga groaned as she laid back on the couch, trying to make herself comfortable in an uncomfortable situation, "Do we _really_ have to start _all_ over again?"

Doctor Bliss reminded her, "A lot can change in a few years. It's important that we discuss these anti-social tendencies and examine possible strategies for improvement."

Helga narrowed her eyes, "Like the strategies we've goneover?"

Doctor Bliss nodded in agreement, "We _did_ start on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy a couple of months before the school reported to me that you no longer needed my help."

Helga looked to the left, embarrassed by her parents' past behavior, " _Bob_ and _Miriam_ reported to the school that I no longer needed free therapy."

"Why did they report that to the school, Helga?"

Helga chanced a glance at Doctor Bliss, "Because to have a Pataki on file as having mental problems was just _too_ much for Bob's pride to handle. He always expected the Pataki's to sweep issues under the rug and not _talk_ about our problems. If Olga didn't go to therapy, he sure wasn't having _me_ go through it."

Doctor Bliss continued to write on the clipboard, "It's a parent's duty to get their children professional help if it's required to better their behavioral performance. When I first saw you at P.S. 118, I knew there was a lot of emotions you were covering up from your aggressive behavior toward your classmates. I thought after the phone call to your house, your parents would find it helpful as well."

Helga laughed bitterly, "Yeah, right. Like I told you two years ago, my parents have _never_ cared about me. Nothing's changed with their behavior **;** it's only gotten _worse._ Olga's the only one that's looked after me, at least before she ended up getting into her _own_ relationship problems."

Doctor Bliss put her clipboard down in her lap again and softly asked, "Is Olga still in your life?"

Helga put her hands in her lap, "She's living across town with one of Arnold's old tenants. She just got out of an abusive relationship. That's the reason I'm not staying with her."

Doctor Bliss was concerned, "Is your sister okay?"

Helga said, "She seems to be pulling her life together ever since the guy went to jail for hitting her, multiple times."

"Do you and your sister get along now that your parents are out of your life?"

"We just started talking again. I wouldn't say we get _along_ yet."

Doctor Bliss spoke sincerely, "I would stay in touch with your older sister. Despite what you've told me about your sister, she seems like she cares for you very much."

Helga sighed, "More than my _parents_ do, at least."

"Are you still in touch with either of your parents?"

"Nope. My dad moved to Oregon to live with his Uncle Jack and my mother's whereabouts are unknown. Even _Olga_ doesn't know where Miriam is."

"That must be difficult at such a young age to lose both of your parents."

Helga shrugged, "Hey, they're still alive; I just don't have contact with them. I think it's better that way. They were nothing but bad influences, especially Bob. He's half of the reason that I am this way."

Doctor Bliss said, "But they're your family, Helga. Even if you didn't always get along, I'm sure you miss them sometimes."

Helga snapped back, "What's to miss, not having lunches every day? Hearing all the fighting downstairs every morning between Bob and Miriam? All they did was give me the motivation to stay the same. My parents are the reason that I'm a bully."

Doctor Bliss said, "Although I agree that the way your parents raised you could have factored into some of your aggressive tendencies, I don't believe it's their fault. How you have reacted to your circumstances was your decision."

Helga's eyes widened, "But—they _showed_ me how to react. Miriam was either passed out drunk all the time or withdrawn and uncaring. Bob was angry and bossy. I wasn't _shown_ how to be kindhearted and gentle, _that's_ why I'm a bully."

Doctor Bliss asked, curiously, "Is your sister kindhearted and gentle?"

Helga shrugged, "Well, _yeah,_ but _that's_ because she was forced to be that way to gain my parents affections. She told me so."

Doctor Bliss explained to her, "No, she _chose_ to be that way just like you've chosen to react aggressively. She chose to respond to her parents differently, which may or may not be a good thing."

Helga laughed, "I'll give you _that_. Olga's always been sickeningly sweet, but it got her into an abusive relationship, so how is _that_ any better? I _never_ want to be kind and gentle because of it."

Doctor Bliss picked up her clipboard again to jot down some notes, "Why is that? Are you afraid of being abused?"

Helga held both of her hands out, trying to explain, "No, I just don't want to be _walked_ on. If a person has the chance, they'll step all _over_ you. At least _this_ way, I'm protecting myself."

Doctor Bliss nodded, still writing notes, "And how has being angry helped you recently?"

She sighed, "Well, it's helped me defend myself, I guess."

"From who?" Doctor Bliss looked up at Helga.

"Arnold, and maybe Rhonda and Olga," At Doctor Bliss's curious gaze, Helga groaned loudly and raised her voice, "Oh, who am I kidding, it hasn't helped me at _all!_ I've been nothing but a pain to Arnold's family and an inconvenience to _him!_ The class hears me complaining all the time about everything and ignores me. I'm trying to protect my reputation, but all it's done is push everybody away from me!"

Doctor Bliss asked, "Isn't that what you _want?"_

Helga walked over to Doctor Bliss, holding out her hands, "I want them to _fear_ me, not _ignore_ me. Whenever I reacted bossy before this year, they stopped picking on me because they _feared_ me. Now, they just look at me like I'm an alien pod or I'm too immature for their company. They know it's an act now, _all_ of them. I've almost lost my _best friend_ because of my aggression, and her boyfriend won't even _talk_ to me anymore." She crossed her arms and mumbled, "We were becoming friends, but I ruined _that,_ too."

Doctor Bliss tried to explain to Helga how she was feeling, even though Helga didn't understand it herself, "It sounds like something you used to do to protect yourself has become a burden to you now. Being aggressive may have protected you against your classmates teasing and your parent's ignorance, but now it's not. It's making you feel sad and hopeless. It's hindering you. Things have changed. You're not only getting older, but your life circumstances have changed to where you don't need to react that way anymore. You want to react positively in a way that you're assertive, but not overbearing. Someway that's a balance between passive and aggressive."

Helga walked over to the darts on the wall and grabbed three for target practice, "But I can't _stop_ reacting that way! It's all I _know!"_ Her first shot was on the left of the center, "I've punched Rhonda and Olga this year already, and I've lost _count_ of how many fights I've got in with Arnold and his parents. I feel like," she shot another dart, and it was closer to the center, but still to the left. "Like, if I don't change my behavior, I'm eventually going to get thrown out!" Her last shot hit the very center, and Helga mentally started counting her points.

Doctor Bliss rested her arm against the armrest and looked over at her. She reassured her, "It's common to get in arguments with the people you live with because you see their problems and flaws up close. I can see how your aggressive behavior can contribute to problems in other relationships, but I don't think Arnold, or his family would throw you out if they knew you're working on changing your behavior—"

"—Only because my idiotic _boyfriend_ decided to tell them. I can't keep _anything_ secret in that house. His parents are _so_ nosy, and Arnold is persistent enough to get the truth out of me _every time_." Helga growled as she walked over to Doctor Bliss, irritated with her boyfriend and his persistence all over again. She mumbled to herself **,** _Nosy Do-Gooder_ _I_ _gnoramus._

"Your _boyfriend?"_ Doctor Bliss blinked in surprise. She was thankful she didn't pick up the coffee in front of her. She had to mentally calculate if Helga was even at the age that kids started dating. _Twelve. Yes, that's about right._

Helga forgot Doctor Bliss was one of the few people that _didn'_ t know, "Oh, yeah, I'm dating the Football Head. Figured he told you _that_ on the phone," Doctor Bliss couldn't help but stare in surprise as Helga added, "Or… maybe not. I guess he _can_ mind his own business sometimes. Wonders never cease." She laughed a bit, starting to feel more comfortable opening up to the psychologist.

Doctor Bliss couldn't help but smile slightly. She remembered Helga's past affections for the boy, "When did _this_ happen?" She picked up her coffee, sipping from it as she listened. Her curiosity was great.

Helga sat on the couch, "Well, we had gone to San Lorenzo for some contest I won for the class. Arnold wanted to go because that was the last place his parents were before they vanished from his life. He tried to make the _perfect_ video presentation, but his plan fell flat, so _I_ decided to do it. I had to get him there, so he could _at least_ find out if his parents were alive."

Doctor Bliss sat her coffee down to ask, "How was the trip?"

Helga bit her bottom lip nervously as she put her hands on the sides of her and leaned back, "Not the greatest when Football Head cared more about finding his _parents_ than our class' safety. Our boat was taken hostage by La Sombra and we got stranded in the middle of nowhere. It took me some time to forgive Arnold, but eventually, I did. Gerald and I got Arnold out of there and we went looking for his parents. The three of us were hoping my best friend Phoebe was able to find a way to lead the class out of prison, but _I_ was hoping we would find the El Corazón for La Sombra so that he would set the class free, if her assertive plan failed. Our chaperone was too much of a mess to handle the class."

"Wow. I'm sorry to hear that you've gone through that. Is everyone coping all right?"

Helga sighed and sat up as she thought more about it, "Simmons was our chaperone. He doesn't teach fourth or fifth grade anymore because he had a nervous breakdown at the start of the school year. The others seem shaken up, but they're overall fine. The incident caused us to _grow_ more than anything. It forced us to see that life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Even _Eugene's_ optimism has faded a bit."

Doctor Bliss nodded. From being a psychologist, she understood how tragedy affected maturity. Doctor Bliss asked, "What happened with you, Gerald, and Arnold? Did you ever find the El Corazón?"

Helga closed her eyes, not wanting to think about losing Arnold _again._ She went through the events _,_ "We almost got killed by a falling bridge, witnessed La Sombra's death, met the Green-Eyed People that Arnold's parents helped. We even found Arnold's _parents._ At the time, they were suffering from the sleeping sickness that there was no cure for but the El Corazón. The El Corazón went over the cliff where we witnessed La Sombra's death, so his parents were stuck in a sleepy haze, possibly forever."

Doctor Bliss stared and said in surprise, "Wow. That's a lot you had to go through in such a short period of time."

Helga laughed weakly, "You have _no_ idea. Anyway, Football Head was crying more than ever, and I _had_ to do _something._ I had my locket on me, and for the sake of his parent's lives, I gave it to Arnold to try to use as a substitute for the cure. It was heart-shaped, right? So, I figured it would work. I was hoping it would wake up his parents from the sleeping sickness and his tears would end. I hated seeing the little Numb-skull cry," she said, pathetically.

Doctor Bliss asked, "You gave him your _locket?"_

Helga shrugged, "Hey, I have a heart of gold sometimes when I'm not busy acting like it's _stone."_

Doctor Bliss jotted something down on the clipboard, "I'm guessing that your locket woke up his parents considering they're alive and well today?"

"Well, his parents are in _therapy_ right now, emotionally and physically. They're alive, but they have some mental problems they're working through."

Doctor Bliss said, "That's understandable. How's Arnold taking all of this?"

"Eh, he's okay. I think he's more grateful they're _alive_ than anything."

Doctor Bliss asked gently, "So, how did you and Arnold start a relationship?"

"We kind of shared a moment in the jungle, but he didn't bring it up again until sixth grade started. I thought he just wanted to forget everything happened **,** like FTI, but he decided to date me. He asked me a month after school started, on October seventh. He kissed me and then decided we're in a relationship."

"That must have been surprising."

Helga rubbed her left arm nervously, "Well, _yeah,_ it came out of left field. It took me awhile to believe he wasn't playing another April Fool's Day joke on me." When Doctor Bliss gave her a look with a raised eyebrow, clearly not understanding what she was talking about, Helga added, "Fifth grade. Don't even ask." She wouldn't know how to explain it anyway.

"So," Doctor Bliss looked down at her clipboard and asked, "You've had a relationship with Arnold for seven months?"

"You could say that."

Doctor Bliss asked, "I'm guessing that you want to be a better person for _him_ as well."

Helga sighed, "Well, doi. If he _must_ put up with me for the rest of his life, I figured the _least_ I can do is be a decent person. Why? You got a problem with that?"

Doctor Bliss shook her head, "As long as you're also changing for yourself and not just Arnold. I know from our previous sessions that you care very much for him, but true change only comes when you want to change for _yourself."_

Helga laughed, "Yeesh, you're starting to _sound_ like the little Sap. I already _know_ I need to change for myself. I wouldn't have taken Arnold's money and come to these sessions if I didn't know they would work."

Doctor Bliss nodded, "Arnold seems to have done _a lot_ for you. I'm happy for you, and I'm happy that you have a family and a person in your life that truly cares for you."

"Maybe so, but if that's true, why can't he _say_ it?"

"What do you mean?"

"We've been dating for seven months and living together for six. Why can't he _tell_ me he loves me? If he did he would be able to say it, right? I feel like I'm a placeholder in his life. I don't have anything to offer him."

Doctor Bliss smiled, "Maybe the love you have for him is enough."

Helga closed her eyes and mumbled, " _Nothing_ is enough for the boy that's given me everything."

Doctor Bliss reminded her, "And _you've_ given him his parents back."

Helga nodded, "Yeah. It's a wonder he's not just dating me out of _obligation_ for saving his parents. Sometimes the idea crosses my mind."

Doctor Bliss couldn't help but smile, "If you've been in a relationship with Arnold for seven months, I doubt he's staying with you for those reasons. Long term relationships in elementary school are rare."

Helga explained, "Rare because _most_ people haven't had to _grow up_ like me and Arnold have, so they're not as mature as we are. I had to learn to live with my parent's _neglect,_ he had to be the only adult in the boarding house and learn to live with his parent's _absence."_

Those words made Doctor Bliss more curious, "Only adult in the boarding house? But aren't there adult tenants living with you and Arnold right now?"

Helga laughed as if Doctor Bliss told her a hilarious joke. She said, "If you would even _call_ them adults, sure. Arnold's been collecting and counting rent and solving all their problems since first grade." When Doctor Bliss raised her left eyebrow, Helga smirked, "I'm not making it up, either. He's practically taken on the role of p _sychiatrist_ in and outside the boarding house. You should _see_ him work in school. There's not a problem he _can't_ solve. _That's_ why I told you it was pointless for me to come here. He's _already_ done everything possible to help me."

Doctor Bliss was wary, "That's rather perspicacious for a sixth grader."

Helga nodded, explaining to her, "He's _always_ been wise beyond his years. Face it, there's nothing you're going to cover with me that Arnold _hasn't_ already."

Doctor Bliss said, "Well, speaking of that, let's get started on the therapy. I was thinking about us reviewing cognitive behavioral—"

"—Already done and memorized." She crossed her arms, stubbornly.

Doctor Bliss asked her, "What are the ten cognitive distortions?"

Helga closed her eyes, naming them off on her fingers, "Easy. Jumping to conclusions is where you mind **-** read or fortune **-** tell. All or nothing thinking is where you see things in black and white. Disqualifying the positive is where you only see the negative. Overgeneralization is where one thought clouds your vision. Labeling is calling yourself names. 'Should statements' are when you assume things should be a certain way. Personalization is believing that everything's your fault, Mental Filter is equivalent to all or nothing thinking. Magnifying and minimizing are exaggerating things to fit our perspective, and emotional reasoning is blaming everything on our feelings. _Next!"_

Doctor Bliss blinked in surprise a moment before saying, "Well, considering you know your cognitive distortions, let's focus on your feelings—"

"—I feel _annoyed_ when you don't _trust what I'm telling you._ " She held out her left hand, "I wish you'd _realize_ that _Arnold and I have already gone over this!"_

Doctor Bliss asked her curiously, "What else has Arnold helped you with?"

"Meditation, and he just started something called ' _exposure therapy_ ' with me."

Doctor Bliss paused a moment to compose herself before saying, "I _am_ a bit surprised he's acquired so much wisdom at his age without going through a proper struggle himself."

Helga started to blush. She rubbed her left arm nervously with her right hand. The _last_ thing she wanted to explain to the psychologist was the tantric spell she put on him, or his past addiction to sex, "Well, heh-heh, he's _perfect,_ so _obviously,_ he's going to _know_ how to help me, whether he has his own struggles or not."

Doctor Bliss asked, gently, "Is that what you _really_ think of your boyfriend? That he's perfect?"

Helga was surprised Doctor Bliss _didn't_ believe he was perfect, so she tried to convince her, "Well _of course_. He walks on _water!_ He might have been flawed in the past, but he doesn't have any problems of his own right _now."_

Doctor Bliss said, "I have to disagree. While I _do_ agree Arnold may be great at giving advice and helping others, I'm sure he faces many struggles of his own."

Helga crossed her arms stubbornly and narrowed her eyes, "Look, I've been living with him for six months and _I_ say you're _wrong_ _."_

"How can you be so _sure?"_ When Helga didn't reply, and she raised an eyebrow skeptically in response, Doctor Bliss said, "While I _did_ tell you that idolizing Arnold didn't matter two years ago, it matters now that you're in a relationship with him. The relationship could be damaged because of your distorted beliefs. Has Arnold ever said anything to you about this? Does he know that you think he's perfect?"

"Yeah. He either tells me I'm wrong or says I'm just obsessed with him."

Doctor Bliss wasn't surprised as she patiently waited for Helga to continue.

Helga sighed, "I wrote him a six-page letter at Christmas time to prove that my feelings were more than just obsession. He didn't believe I loved him. He even suggested that we _break up_ because of it."

"So, it _is_ damaging your relationship?"

Helga looked at Doctor Bliss, "But how can I see him as flawed when he makes _no_ mistakes of his own? Answer that one for me, Doc? He's too smart, loving, kind, sensitive, compassionate, and wise to do anything _stupid."_

Doctor Bliss nodded as she sat up and walked over to her file cabinet, "With those thoughts, I think I just found our first homework assignment for you, Helga. I would like you to look for flaws in Arnold and write them down. I want you to distort all of your thoughts about it and forgive him." Doctor Bliss walked over to Helga, who was still seated on the couch, and handed her a purple composition book, "Write all of his weaknesses in here. We can go over the list when you return on Thursday."

Helga took the notebook with her right hand. Her eyes went wide in shock at what Doctor Bliss was asking her to do, " _Weaknesses?_ You've got to be _kidding_ me, Doc. This is liable to take _years,_ not two _days._ It's going to be _impossible_ for me to find anything."

Doctor Bliss smiled, "I believe that you can. I also believe that this will be beneficial for both you _and_ Arnold."

Helga got up to leave, feeling disturbed and irritated with Doctor Bliss's assumptions, "Yeah, right. Arnold's _perfect._ He _has_ no weaknesses. Just you wait and see."

* * *

 **Meanwhile, in Arnold's room…**

He was on the computer that night. He was doing what he did in secrecy _every_ night when Helga went to a friend's house or made a trip out. It was what he had been doing instead of going downstairs to eat dinner every night lately. While Helga was at her first session with Doctor Bliss, he was " _taking care of_ _himself_ ". It was a _shame_ he had to resort to _videos_ now since the images weren't strong enough to bring him back to back " _releases_ " like it did before. The stress of the day had become _too_ much for him daily, so he got accustomed to " _relieving his frustrations_ " whenever he got a chance. What nobody knew wouldn't hurt them, right?

Everything was off, and he was " _double clicking the mouse_ ", quite literally. He was letting the video on his computer screen take control of his mind. The provocative images were causing his breath to rapidly increase. He was " _close_ " to the end of the " _scene_ " for the third time that night. He was hoping _this_ time it would " _relax_ " him enough to get some sleep. At least _that's_ the excuse he used every night he kept watching the videos. He was getting close, and he had to bite his bottom lip and close his eyes as he held back a groan when the end finally " _came_ ". His whole body thrusted as he shot once, twice, three times. Unknown to him, his " _load_ " was spilling all over the keyboard, because he didn't think about using something to catch it. As he spurted a seventh time, the movements he made became less harsh. Thankfully, his breathing wasn't the _only_ think that finally started to go " _down_ ". He opened his eyes. A breath of relief and calm washed over him. He still couldn't believe the spell was so strong he could have three strong orgasms in one day with no problem. He was _just_ starting to feel the effects of the prolactin and oxytocin his brain was releasing when he noticed the mess on his keyboard. His eyes went wide when he heard a knock on his door.

He gasped, hurrying up and grabbing his clothes. Whoever it was, he didn't want them to see him naked, or to see the video on his screen. He pushed the reset button on the computer. Both Helga _and_ his parents had a key to his room. He yelled out, "Don't come in!"

Stella was at his door and she sighed in frustration. She didn't understand what he was hiding, "What's going on? Why are you locking yourself up in your room? You haven't come downstairs for dinner all _week."_

As soon as Arnold put on his underwear and pants, he grabbed his shirt off the floor, "Give—give me a second, Mom! _Please, don't_ unlock the door!"

Stella said, sternly, "Arnold, I'm going to kindly give you until the count of three to open the door and talk to me before I unlock it myself and find out what you're hiding. _One…_ _Two_ …"

He opened the door, out of breath and panting. He completely forgot to clean off his keyboard. He looked disheveled and his hair was a mess. His blond locks were out of their normal places. He stared at his mom, not knowing what to say. He thought to himself. _Oh,_ _God_ _. I_ _can't_ _let her know what I've been doing in here lately!_

She looked at his sweaty face and worn out expression with concern, "Are you _okay?_ You know me and your father are here if you need to talk with us about anything. Even if we can't give you an answer, we can _always_ offer a listening ear." She walked in his room.

He took a step back, trying to think of another _excuse._ Another _lie_ to tell her about why he's been distant from the boarders. Something that had nothing to do with "taking care of himself" at dinner time every day, "I—I know, but there's _nothing_ I need to talk about. Nothing's wrong." He gulped, nervously. He wasn't good at lying. He thought to himself **,** _Please_ _don't be nosy and persistent like you usually are. Just_ _believe_ _me this time!_

As Arnold sat down on his bed, she sat to the left of him and put her right hand over his shoulders. His disheveled expression was concerning her, and her motherly instincts took over, "Why are you so sweaty and out of breath, Sweetie? Are you _sick?_ Is _that_ why you haven't been coming downstairs to eat dinner with us?"

He couldn't _do_ this. He couldn't lie _again_ to her, "No—not exactly. _Please_ , I'm all right, you _don't_ need to worry about me." He thought **,** _Stop with the questions, Mom! I don't want to lie anymore!_

She started to sniff. She smelled something rotten and unsanitary. She glanced in his trashcan, but all she saw was a lot of dirty tissues, "What is—what is that _smell?"_ She sniffed the air again, getting up from her son's bed and walking over to the computer, "It smells _awful._ Are you _sure_ you haven't been throwing up in here?"

"Um, no." He pondered, trying to figure out what his mother was smelling, _I took the trash out recently, so what is she—Oh, no, I forgot to clean off my keyboard!_

Stella walked over to see the mess on his keyboard, and gasped, "Arnold! What's all over your keyboard?!"

"I—I—" _I can't tell her_ _that_ _! She'll never look at me the same_ _again_ _!_ He was frozen to his spot.

She walked over to inspect the mess and then gasped in realization, "You spit up that spoiled milk, didn't you? _That's_ why you haven't been eating lately! You should know by now that your grandma forgets to throw out _a lot_ of stuff, and you need to be careful with what you eat!"

 _She thinks… I spit up spoiled_ _milk_ _? Okay, that's great! I'll just keep lying to her and let her keep thinking that!_ "I—I know." His cheeks were burning with embarrassment. His mother was looking at his " _release_ ". He buried his face in his hands.

Stella looked at him sternly, "Arnold, I want you to lay down on your bed while I clean this mess up."

 _She's going to clean up my… clean up my…?!_ He stood up quickly, running over with his face burning in embarrassment from what she said she would do, "What—wait, Mom, you _don't_ have to clean up after me! I can clean up my _own_ mess, _please._ There's no need to treat me like I'm a—"

"—You just _threw up,_ Sweetie. It could make you sicker cleaning this up." Stella put her right hand over his shoulders to walk him over to his bed again. She helped him into bed and put the covers over his body, telling him, "Just lay down while I take care of everything, and don't worry." She felt her son's head with her left hand and gasped in surprise, "Wow. You really _are_ sick. I can tell you have a fever right now. I might have you take off school tomorrow until the food poisoning from the milk has worn off. I'll fix you some medicine that will reduce your fever after I clean your keyboard."

"Wait, Mom, I'm _not_ —I mean, I don't _need_ to take off school tomorrow, and I don't need any medicine! I'm _not_ —!"

"You're getting some rest tonight, Sweetie, and I will make a decision about school for you in the morning," She cleaned up the mess on his keyboard as Arnold covered his eyes with the blankets. He groaned, feeling more humiliated than ever. She threw the Kleenexes in his trash in a bag and tied it. She walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. She said, "I'm going to bring you a cold rag to put on your head and some Tylenol for you to take to bring the fever down."

 _Is she even_ _listening_ _to me? And does high testosterone really cause fevers? I know I'm not sick. Is the spell raising my temperature?_ "But _Mom,_ you don't need to _do_ all of this! It's not what you think!"

She stood up and put her hands on her hips. She said, determined, "Arnold Phillip Shortman. Now, I am your mother and I know what's best for you. I do _not_ want you arguing with me about it. For right now, you are laying down and going _straight_ to bed. Not only are you sick, but you look exhausted."

"I haven't been able to sleep well lately." _You just don't understand me. I don't even feel like your_ _son_ _._

Stella said before walking out, "Well, it's about time that you stopped going for walks around the neighborhood late at night and started getting some rest, isn't it? You need to stop letting school get to you. You need to stop worrying about your roommate and all of your other friends."

He tried to explain, sitting up, "But—I—I _need_ to take walks every other night!"

"What you _need_ to do is get better." She sighed, disappointed in him. She started to walk out and shut the door.

"But, _Mom!"_

After she shut the door, he growled in frustration. He got off the bed and walked over to his computer and the newly cleaned keyboard that his mom just wiped down. He put his left hand on his forehead. He was getting a headache from _stress._ Watching provocative videos was supposed to make him _less_ tense. It was doing the opposite. He was _so_ irritated with his mom.

He felt guilty for lying to his mother and having her clean up his—well, _stuff_ that was all over his keyboard when she walked in. He had been lying to his parents for _months_ about his whereabouts and why he left all the time. It was no _wonder_ his mother wasn't believing anything he said anymore. She truly thought he was just _sick._ Maybe mentally, but not physically. She truly didn't _know_ him anymore. He was feeling _sick_ of all the excuses, _sick_ of the lies, and _all_ because he couldn't _control_ himself.

Arnold reached down to grab his backpack. He grabbed a pair of scissors he had in there and walked over to his computer again. The computer screen said on it: _This computer shut off unexpectedly. Restart with all the previous programs open? Y/N_

The blaring screen was _haunting_ him, _laughing_ at him for giving in for over a _month,_ even while helping Helga solve her _own_ problems. He was lying to everybody about conquering his problems. The computer in front of him was a constant reminder of his failures and the fact that he would _never_ change. He scowled at it as he sat down on the chair by the keyboard. He took his keyboard roughly with both of his hands and cut the wire to the CPU. After that, he got down on the floor on his knees to feel around for the computer wire that was attached to the modem. After unplugging the computer, he growled as he cut the wire with the scissors he had in his hands, making the computer unusable. He stood up and grabbed the keyboard and made his way over to his bed to walk up the ladder. He was too frustrated to care about _anything_ but destroying the one thing that was _ruining_ his life.

He shut the window lightly and walked over to the edge of the roof. With the last of his strength for that night, he threw the keyboard over the roof with a growl in anger. He hoped it would smash in a million pieces. Tears started to form in his eyes, but they didn't fall. He was too _numb_ to cry but he felt hopeless and completely alone. It wasn't that his mother didn't _mean_ well, she just didn't _understand,_ and neither did Helga. _Nobody_ understood what his mind and body was going through every day because of the spell that was cast on him. If they _did_ understand, it would be even _worse_ for him. His mother would be _so_ angry, and Helga… His _girlfriend!_ He had been _cheating_ on her!

It was no _wonder_ he couldn't be physical with Helga anymore. He was being physical with _other_ women in his mind _every day_! He was looking at all the girls in his class _sexually_ now _._ No _wonder_ he always had an excuse for her… And there was _nothing_ he could do to take back what he had done. He had done _worse_ to Helga than all her teasing and pranks and ridicule had _ever_ done to _him._ He had betrayed her _trust!_ She _trusted_ that he would stay faithful to her. He made her believe he was well, when he was still struggling.

He slowly walked in and laid down on his bed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't relax. He kept tossing and turning, and he wasn't even sexually frustrated. The secrets and lies were _killing_ him. The images usually helped him to relax enough to sleep, but now, all he felt was guilt and embarrassment…

He _had_ to tell her the truth, even if she ended the relationship with him…

* * *

 **Wednesday, May 18th, Afternoon…**

Helga sat down at the computer, getting ready to work on her book report, "So, why were you off school today, Hair-Boy?"

Arnold was sitting on the couch, reading an Agatha Caulfield book. He rubbed his neck nervously with his right hand as he refused to meet her eyes. He said, "My mom, she thought I was sick yesterday. She told me to stay home today."

She was looking for the keyboard as she said to him, "You seem just _fine_ to me." She growled as she found the wire from the keyboard that was cut, but no keyboard. She said, "What the—where's the keyboard, Arnold-o? I have a book report to finish. I have the report saved in your computer!"

He rubbed his right arm with his left hand, embarrassed. He wanted to be honest, but he didn't know where to start. He said, "It's a long story."

Helga was pressing the power button on the computer repeatedly. She was growing more frustrated as the screen stayed black. She said, "And why won't the computer monitor turn on?! I know this thing is old, but I've never had problems with it _before._ I have to finish my report!"

"Well," he swallowed the lump in his throat that was forming. His girlfriend was glaring angrily at him.

She knew _something_ was going on from his stalling behavior and she stood up from the computer chair. She walked over to him, saying, "Okay, out with it, what did you _do?_ The keyboard wire has been chewed!" She blinked, starting to get concerned. She repeated herself in realization, "Wait a minute, the _wire_ has been _chewed!"_ She started to panic, pacing back and forth, "Don't tell me we have _rats_ running around in your room. I thought the snake and bat were bad, but now we have _rats?_ Cripes, I thought I _told_ you to tell your Grandma to keep her pets _downstairs!_ "

He replied softly, "I did."

She was getting frantic, "Oh, _criminy,_ I _can't_ live here if she's keeping _rats!_ Dead ones in the fridge for her snake is _one_ thing, but _live_ ones? They will chew you up and spit you out. It's a wonder I haven't been bitten. _Why_ did I have to listen to you, _why?_ Why didn't I stay at the Safe House like I did _before?_ It was safer _there_ than it _ever_ was here!"

He stood up from the couch. He walked over to her. He wanted to reassure her, but he realized only the _truth_ would calm her down. He took a deep breath as he stepped in front of her and he said, "Helga, there're no rats in the boarding house. Grandpa has been setting up mouse traps for _years,_ and I haven't seen _any_ rats."

She held onto his shoulders for dear life. She said, "Then why is the cord for your monitor cut, and your keyboard is _gone?!_ Don't tell me they chewed the keys off the keyboard _too!"_

He couldn't look in her eyes and glanced to his left. He said weakly, "Helga—it's not _that_ it's… well, it's _me."_

She slowly let go of his shoulders and raised her left eyebrow. She didn't know what he was trying to say. She said, "O… _kay, what's_ going on?"

He gulped and began rubbing his left arm with his right hand out of nervousness and fear. He still couldn't meet her eyes and he kept looking to the left. He said, "There's—there's a reason why my keyboard's not here and the wires are cut."

"Which _is?"_ She held her left hand out, looking at him with a scowl.

He looked into her eyes with deep concern and failed to tell her. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I can't tell you."

She was frustrated and said to him, "What _can't_ you tell me? Arnold, we've been living together for seven _months_ and you practically know my life _history._ Whycan't you tell me why I can't turn on the computer and load up my project? What kind of boyfriend _are_ you?!"

 _The kind that's been looking at other women behind your back._ He thought silently as he swallowed and admitted to her in a whisper, "I'm afraid you're going to break up with me if I tell you the truth."

"Break up with you? You're practically a _saint,_ Bucko." She watched him walk over to his bed and sit down. He looked guilty and embarrassed, and she didn't know why. Whatever it was, something was bothering him. She made her way over to her boyfriend and sat down to the left of him. She tried again, "Okay, what's up?"

He looked into her eyes as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Helga sighed, "It would _help_ if I knew what you were _apologizing_ for."

He closed his eyes. Guilt was building up in his heart with every word he said. He whispered, "I cut the wires."

She blinked, "What, _why?_ All our school _projects_ are on there! It's our only means of using the internet besides the public library and our _school's_ library at lunch time _._ _Now_ I'm going to have to skip my lunches every time I want to work on my book report, _and_ I'm going to have to start the whole report _over._ Why would you do something so… _absurd?!"_

"There's a very good reason why I did it," Helga was silent as she waited for him to continue. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them, trying to get the courage to admit what he had been doing behind her back for over a month. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I fell off the wagon."

From her mother's drinking problem, Helga recognized the term immediately and how it could pertain to her boyfriend. Her eyes widened slightly as she whispered, "For how long?"

Arnold looked into her eyes with sadness, "Oh, Helga. I—I've been falling off the wagon ever since I started helping you with your problems. I've been getting on the computer in my spare time, looking at images and videos. It wasn't intentional, I _promise,_ it's just, somewhere along the line, the temptation got to be too much and I just… gave up. I couldn't _eat_ right, I couldn't _sleep."_

She was shocked as she let go of his hands, and whispered, "What?" She scowled, raising her voice, "You mean the whole time you've been helping me out, you've been engaging in _that?_ You're _still_ looking up—"

"—I couldn't _stop!_ " he covered his face with his hands in embarrassment as he admitted, "I've been on there every time you've been away from the boarding house!"

"But, why couldn't you have just taken off the internet connection or put on that blocker you had installed? Why did you have to cut the _wires?"_ She was getting irritated.

"I took off the internet blockers because I thought I was _fine,_ and I _can't_ disconnect the internet connection or the whole boarding house wouldn't have it. _All_ the computers run off the _same_ connection."

She exclaimed, frustrated, "Why not make it simple and throw out the computer then!? And why didn't you _tell_ me you were going to cut the wires!? You could've at _least_ let me email _my_ project from it before destroying the thing!"

"Because Grandpa got it for me when I was in first grade, and it was expensive, and he might know what I was doing if I threw out the whole computer and tried to make up an excuse. You know I'm not a good liar." He pulled his hands away from his face to look at his girlfriend, his face was burning with humiliation.

She growled, "I can't _believe_ you! So, every time I've gone to hang out with Phoebs or take a walk or stay after class, you've been—?!"

"I'm sorry! I mean—you've got to give me credit, you put a pretty strong spell on me." He said, desperately.

She screamed, "That's no _excuse!_ You could have said _no,_ just like _I've_ been saying no the last couple days arguing with our _classmates!"_ She got off the bed to walk away from him. She faced away from him, crossed her arms and said, "I can't believe you've been _lying_ to me this whole time. All this time, I thought you were _cured._ You never told me that you were struggling with this again!"

He gulped, starting to explain, "Well, I—"

"—And you've been _faking_ it, you've been faking _everything."_ She turned to him swiftly, remembering something. She raised her voice, "What about not wanting to touch _or_ kiss me? So, I'm guessing you get your kicks from images and videos more than you do your own _girlfriend!_ If you wanted to be physical, why engage in _that_ crap?! And why not talk with _me_ about it first, didn't you think _I_ would want to know you were seeing other women naked?" She crossed her arms, "I guess other women bring you more pleasure than I do now, huh?"

"I'm sorry—!" He cried out, his heart beating wildly. _She's going to end it. I can see it in her eyes! Please, forgive me, Helga! I made a huge mistake, but I'll_ _never_ _do it again, and I'm sorry!_

She put her hands on her hips, looking at him. She yelled. "I mean, you've been spending time pleasuring yourself to _that_ crap when you have a girlfriend right _here_ ready _and_ willing to do whatever you want! Don't you care about me _at all_ , or did my presence completely slip your mind?!"

Arnold swallowed as she approached him. He whispered weakly, "Remember your therapy."

She looked at him, her heart breaking into _pieces._ She held out her hands, " _Why,_ Arnold? I just want to know _why._ _Why_ did you put this wedge between us where we can't be _physical_ anymore because you're too preoccupied getting off to somebody _else?"_ _I've never been enough for you. He used me…_

His heart was breaking as he looked into her hurt eyes and listened to her pained voice. He took a sharp intake of breath, "I made a _huge_ mistake and I wish I could change the past now, but I _can't._ I didn't know what to _do_ with myself. I couldn't get rid of the tension. It just kept building up each day, and I _tried_ taking walks and sleeping and meditating, but I was _so_ tired, so tired of trying and pushing and being tense and in pain—and I _know_ that's no excuse, but _please_ try to understand me. My intention _wasn't_ to hurt you **,** it was to _protect_ you this whole time. I didn't know I would get involved in pornography again."

Helga stared at him, listening **.**

He felt his eyes getting heavier. The fear of losing Helga forever to _this_ was overwhelming him, "And _that's_ the reason I've been pushing you away, because I didn't want to give in to my urges and have sex with you. I _care_ about you," he felt tears rolling down his face **.** "And I was trying to push my needs aside so that I could meet _yours,_ but I wasn't _strong_ enough to do it. I—I don't know if I could truly change now, even though I still want to. I feel so _weak_ and _powerless_ , I've," he wiped off his face with his right hand as his tears became heavier, "I've been fantasizing about having sex with just about _every_ girl in our class: Rhonda, Phoebe, Nadine, Lila. I—I've been _cheating_ on you in my mind for _months_ with other women! I couldn't have a physical relationship with you if I _wanted_ to because of my guilt. All these images of different women keep playing on my mind, day in and day out, _haunting_ me, _pushing_ me to give in to them, to cave in to this addiction. I've been on the computer because of the temptation, so I _had_ to destroy it. At _this_ point, even meditation doesn't stop the thoughts from surfacing or stop me from giving in to them. I spent _too_ many hours pleasuring myself to stop these thoughts. They used to bring me pleasure and help me sleep at night, but now, I'm burdened with the embarrassment and guilt they carry with them." He took in a deep breath before gasping, still crying. He was unable to stop his tears.

Helga looked at him in surprise as she felt her heart breaking at his tears. She walked over to sit on his left and put her right hand on his shoulders, "Arnold, you _know_ you could have told me that you were struggling. If working with me was too much for you to handle, we could have added some sort of physical stuff in our relationship to help it. You didn't _have_ to resort to _this!_ I'm your _girlfriend, these_ are the things we're supposed to _talk_ about! I mean, cripes, you're _supposed_ to be thinking about _me_ that way, not all the girls in our class _!"_

"I know." He took a deep breath before gasping again, more tears were filling his eyes rapidly.

Helga pulled her hand away from his shoulders as she said softly, "And I've been trying to give myself to you for _months._ I feel angry when you reject me when all I'm trying to do is help you out, amid a spell that _I_ cast. I wish you would just," she took a deep breath as she admitted, "touch, hug and kiss _me_ when you're tempted to do all this stuff and _not_ use a substitute. Think about _me, not_ other women!"

"Your—you're going to break up with me, aren't you?" he sniffed, "I can see it—it's in your eyes. If you did, I would understand. You have every reason to end this relationship." His tears were starting to make it difficult for him to speak, and his voice was starting to crack.

Helga sighed, and rubbed her left arm with her right hand as she looked away, "While I _should_ break up with you because of your _stupidity,_ I'm _not_ going to."

He looked at her, his voice still breaking as he spoke, "But—I _cheated_ on you, behind your _back."_

She shook her head, and then took her right hand and used it to wipe away the tears on his face, "No, Paste-for-Brains, you didn't _cheat._ You made a mistake and you're _paying_ for it from your guilt. You cut the computer wires, right? So, you shouldn't be able to look at any more pictures or videos, _right?"_

As she moved her right hand away from his face, he nodded, rubbing his own burning eyes.

She asked, "What about books or magazines? Do you have any other provocative images in this place?" She was wise enough to know from her mothers' addiction that the computer couldn't be the _only_ place he had stuff stored, right?

He nodded. He pointed over to the couch as he admitted, "They're under the couch. Throw them away for me. I don't want to see them anymore. It's a couple magazines and that book Grandpa gave us." His girlfriend walked over and reached down to pick up the hidden dirty magazines and the book from under the couch. She gasped in surprise when she saw the pictures on the front. She was still _floored_ by her boyfriend's perverted behavior and looked over at him in _shock._ She blinked. He noticed her wide eyes and said to her with tears in his own, "Listen," he took a deep breath, starting to explain, "I know I've given up, and I've given in one too many times, but I truly _do_ want to be the best boyfriend to you that I can be. I _don't_ want to do this anymore, and I _mean_ it, spell or no spell—"

"—Arnold, _relax._ Stop the _waterworks._ I'm just surprised right now. I never expected you to fall _this_ hard **.** " She threw his magazines and the book in the trash can. She took the new bag out, tying it, as she thought. _Quite the contrary, I never expected you to fall_ _at all_ _. I guess that shrink_ _does_ _know what she's talking about._ She sat the bag down and walked over to him. She said gently, "I forgive you. I'm _not_ ending it with you because of a mistake. I'm _not_ breaking up with you or moving back in the Safe House, either." She sat down beside him and wiped the tears from his face with her right hand again. As she looked in his eyes, she saw something she'd _never_ seen in them before. He wasn't perfect, and he looked like a kid that got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Only _this_ was no small cookie jar, this was something a lot more… inclusive. She said gently, "I realize _now_ you're a human just like me, that makes stupid mistakes just like me. I just want you to be _honest_ with me and show me your affections when you feel them from now on, okay?"

"What if I take it too _far?"_ he whispered.

She shrugged, "Then you take it too far. _I'm_ the one that cast the spell on you that's making you go _crazy,_ right?"

"But, we're so _young_ ," he admitted.

"But we don't know how to break the spell right now. I'm on birth control, so we're good if you lose control." She wiped the last remaining tears off his face as she looked into his deep green eyes. She whispered, "Hey **.** "

He stared back at her, touching her shoulders with his hands, waiting for her to continue speaking to him. His voice cracked as he whispered, "What?"

She whispered, "I love you, _Stud_."

"I know," He met her lips, refusing to resist her advances anymore. He slowly but passionately moved his tongue around her own, showing her his feelings without words. Helga hesitantly broke the kiss out of love for him, not wanting him to take it too far. He whispered to her, "I'm _so_ sorry for doing this behind your back and not being honest with you from the I _ever_ make it up to you?"

She put her hands affectionately behind his neck, and whispered, "Oh, you'll find ways."

His heart was beating fast as he admitted to her, "I was _so_ scared. I thought I would lose you _forever_ if I told you the truth." He kissed her lips again softly.

She ran her hands threw his blond hair, deepening the kiss, feeling more love than _ever._ She missed this, being able to kiss and hug him freely without a restraint. Dr. Bliss was _right._ They _were_ closer because she was seeing his flaws. She wasn't expecting him to save her, and she didn't expect him to be perfect. She pulled back from the kiss to whisper to him, "I'm not going _anywhere,_ Bucko."

He smiled at her with his half-lidded gaze as he kissed her again. As she willingly parted her lips, he began to French her. He groaned in her mouth as she deepened the kiss, and he laid down on the bed, pulling her on top of him, _completely_ forgetting about locking the door.

Helga pulled back from kissing Arnold, knowing how reserved he usually was about getting too close, she asked, "Are you _sure_ you want to tempt fate? I mean, I know you're probably ' _in the mood'_ and all, but—"

"We're just _kissing,_ Helga." He chuckled, running his hands down her arms, "You said it yourself. I haven't kissed or touched you in a long time, and you _are_ my girlfriend."

Helga smirked as she leaned in, and whispered, "Can't argue _there._ " She devoured his lips again and took hold of his tongue. She slowly made her way back and forth around it. This was all she _ever_ wanted from him, to feel loved and important. It was too bad it came from the consequences of his past mistakes, but at least she was learning to love him _unconditionally._

Arnold groaned as he pulled her closer to him and she wrapped her legs tighter around his waist. He could already _feel_ his body reacting but chose to ignore the tightness in his stomach and his fast heartbeat. He ran his hands down her back, wanting to get closer, but trying to resist it.

Helga moaned in his mouth, grabbing his blond locks of hair roughly as she moved her tongue faster around his. They were dueling in competition, almost like their tongues were competing against each other to see whose was faster. She started subconsciously moving her hips against his when she felt her girlhood trembling, and gasped. She could also feel the pressure against her core, and she knew it wasn't from _her._ She was shivering because of it, and her heart was pounding. _Man, is he really_ _that_ _turned on_ _already_ _? I guess we should stop, but why don't_ _I_ _want to?_ _He's_ _the one with the spell on him, not_ _me_ _._

He groaned in her mouth as he felt a shiver go down his back, and a certain part of him twitch repeatedly against her core. Sweat was forming on his face and he felt like he was going to _explode._ He broke the kiss, and his girlfriend looked at him in confusion a moment before he pushed her to the left and got on top of _her_ for a change. He didn't start grinding against her. He looked into her eyes in search of something more… gentle. He hesitantly reached for her dress as he asked, "Can we take this off—I mean, if you _want_ to, can you—"

"— _Stop_ tiptoeing around me, Arnold, it's okay, _really."_

He took a shaky breath, running his left hand over her cheek affectionately, "I just don't want to pressure you into doing anything you're not ready for, like I did before."

"You're not pressuring me into anything. I'll let you know if I want to stop," He pulled away as she pulled off her dress and threw it on the floor, revealing a white bra underneath it. She grabbed his hands to pull him back on top of her hips, and then grabbed his shirt to take it off him, throwing it on the floor as well.

His chest was quivering, and his hands were shaking as he brought them to her shoulders, moving them up and down her arms. He smiled warily as he said, "Okay, if you're _sure."_ He kissed her softly on the lips, and then slowly began placing gentle and soft kisses all the way down to her neck. She groaned as he started nibbling on her neck, and then placed soft kisses around the parts he bit. She pulled his head against her neck more, enjoying the tender affections he was giving her.

Unable to resist it, she reached up to move his hips down against her own. She enjoyed the groan she felt him release beside her neck. His body was twitching against her wet heat. He pulled back from kissing her neck and she got ready to French kiss him, but he pulled back shakily and held her shoulders gently. He whispered to her, "Mmm—we should stop."

Helga smirked as she ran her left hand down the middle of his chest, watching his muscles tighten up, and hearing her boyfriend gasp. She teased him as she brought his lips closer to hers. She didn't kiss him just yet. Instead, she whispered to him, "Why? You think you're going to be too _rough?"_

Arnold groaned against her lips as he began Frenching her again. He groaned in her mouth as she pushed his hips against hers once more. His hands tightened on her shoulders, deepening the French kiss, moving his tongue faster around hers. He was feeling even _more_ heated, "N—Not that."

She ran her hands down his back. He groaned and subconsciously grinded on her and made _her_ gasp.

He could feel that she was wet, and it did nothing to calm down his strong urges to go further.

Helga pulled back from Frenching and loosened her shoulder straps to let both of her bra straps fall freely, and the gasp from Arnold told her that he noticed it as well. Her flesh was peeking out, and she was teasing him. He groaned as he moved her bra straps back up to cover her shoulders. She whispered, "What _is_ it then? Are you afraid you're going to attack me, like an animal in heat?"

She grinded against him once more. She enjoyed every second of teasing him. He closed his eyes and bit his lip harshly, grinding back against her hips. She moaned as he groaned back, "Not—Not exactly."

"Then do your worst, Football Lover," she met his lips with her own and grinded against him again.

His eyes closed, and he gasped in her mouth with a desperate moan as he came. He pressed himself against her as he tried to catch his break. He couldn't stop twitching.

She held him against her a moment in shock. She opened her eyes in surprise and pulled her lips away from him. She felt the deep heat on her core, and she _knew_ it wasn't just from _her._ Had he _…?_ She watched him pant as she exclaimed, "Holy crap, I didn't know you were _that_ turned on."

"—Oh, _man_." He groaned, feeling sticky and humiliated, "I—I didn't mean to!"

She ran her hands through his sweaty hair, letting him rest his head against her chest, "Relax,Hair-Boy, I'm not _mad._ Why didn't you _tell_ me you were so close? I could've made it _better_ for you."

He sighed as he sat up and entwined his hands into hers. He raised her left hand up to kiss it softly. Afterward he said, "The point was _not_ to get that carried away. I tried to tell you to _stop,"_ He groaned as he leaned his head into hers affectionately, "This spell just keeps getting _worse,_ Babe."

"Calm down, _Stud._ I mean, it's not like anybody _saw_ you like this."

Just then, the door opened, and Gerald walked in. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a half-naked Helga and Arnold. They had their heads against each other affectionately. He blinked, not knowing if he wanted to un-see what he was seeing or _not._ He didn't care for seeing _Arnold's_ body, but Helga's was _hot._

He stammered, "Uh, _yeah_ , I'll just catch up with you guys later." But he didn't make a move to leave.

Arnold gasped when he heard Gerald and got off Helga to sit next to her. He pulled the covers over himself, embarrassed.

Helga got off the bed, half-naked, and made her way over to Gerald accusingly, "What in the absolute _heck_ are you doing here? Don't you know how to _knock?"_

Gerald gulped as he tried to look anywhere but Helga's _chest._ He was starting to understand why Arnold was dating her. She was _attractive_ underneath that angry facade. He nervously said to her, pointing at Arnold, "His—well, his parents said I could just—just, walk on up. I didn't know you guys were, well— _doing_ stuff."

Arnold groaned, trying to explain himself under the covers, "It's not what you think!"

Helga rolled her eyes, "Well, of _course_ his parents don't know we're ' _doing stuff_ ', Doi! Do you honestly think they'd let us share a _room_ if they saw us _dry humping_ each other? The whole point," she used quotations with her fingers, sharing with Gerald what Arnold had shared with her only a few _months_ ago, "is _not_ to get _caught_."

Gerald asked her, "Then, why did you two have the door unlocked?" For some reason, his eyes couldn't stop from wandering back to Helga's chest, even though he was trying to avoid it. He never got that far with Phoebe because he didn't pressure her. With the way he was starting to feel looking at Helga, he was starting to regret not doing more.

Helga growled, looking at the lump in the bed that her boyfriend was under, "We left the freaking _door_ unlocked? Why don't we just film ourselves on _webcam_ and upload it to the school _website!_ Anyone in this place could just barge on in!"

Gerald continued before Arnold could speak, holding up his hands in defeat, "It's no problem, I'll just—I'll _try_ to un-see what I just saw tonight, okay, Pataki?" he pointed up to the skylight and said, "Nobody out _there_ would believe me anyway."

Helga snuffed in disbelief, "Yeah, right. Like we _both_ don't know you'll be remembering your first naughty look at a girl who _isn't_ Phoebe. This just in, maybe if you _did_ the kind of stuff you're seeing right now with her, you'd _still_ be together." When Gerald stared, Helga realized he was ogling her and smirked a bit, feeling good inside that she looked good enough to even catch _Gerald's_ eyes, "It's _fine,_ gawk away. Normally, I'd beat the viewing fee out of you, but I have my lousy _boyfriend_ to blame for _half_ of this, and I can think of _far_ more entertaining ways to get even with _him_ than _you."_

Gerald took a deep breath, whistling as he did, just _thinking_ about her _ways_ of getting _even,_ "I can imagine you do," He continued to stare at her, completely fascinated.

Helga reached to grab her dress on the floor and put it on. As soon as her dress was on, she realized that Gerald was _still_ gawking at her. Arnold was hiding his body underneath the covers, oblivious to everything. She cracked her knuckles when she realized that she would have to take control of this situation on her _own._ She thought to herself. _Sorry, therapy. You're going on the back-burner for a few minutes._ She said to Gerald, "Old Betsy's coming out of retirement today and she's only giving you 'til the count of three to stomp your way on out of here! And by the way," she whispered harshly, "You tell anyone what you saw or _imagined_ in this room and I'll make _sure_ you can't have children for the rest of your life." She counted on her left hand, raising her voice, " _One… two…"_

Gerald waved his arms in protest, "Aw, come on Helga, _please_ , don't be like _that._ You know I didn't see what I saw on _purpose._ I didn't come upstairs to catch an eyeful. That wasn't my intention."

Helga narrowed her eyes, "Take a picture then, Gerald-o, it'll last longer."

Gerald thought for a second, "I really would, but I forgot my camera-phone back in my—"

"—Get out before I pulverize you!" He started running and Helga chased after him, yelling, "Come back here, you Peeping Tom!"

It was then that Arnold pulled the covers aside and walked over to his bedroom door. He closed the door and locked it so that he could get undressed privately. He took off his wet pants and underwear and threw them in the trash can. He grabbed clean night-clothes to wear along with a condom and put them on before unlocking the door again. He laid down on the couch, pulling the covers around him. It was only seven, but he was _exhausted._ He closed his eyes and reminded himself once more to caution how close he got to his girlfriend, even if she didn't mind. His parents and his other friends didn't _need_ to know about their physical relationship. Keeping it from his parents had _also_ become more difficult. They were getting more suspicious with each passing day. It would only be a matter of time before they found out and threw Helga out.

He sighed as he thought. _I guess it's time to recommit myself._

As for how he was going to explain everything to _Gerald? That_ was something he didn't want to _think_ about yet...


	18. Chapter 18: Lasting Change

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated.** This chapter is rated **Teen.**

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 _ **Reviews:**_  
 _ **Kryten**_ _:_ She sure is getting Arnold off that pedestal, and you're about to see a bit more of Rhonda and Helga in this chapter. Sorry for getting that song stuck in your head lol and Kate is a good name for her. I noticed it's the person that plays Doctor Bliss's name as well. Thanks for the review.  
 _ **J.A.M.**_ _:_ Lol, no, Helga doesn't go that far with Gerald, just chases him out of the room. Arnold is going to fall occasionally, because he's struggling with an addiction. Thanks for the review.  
 _ **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro**_ : He also realizes that she needs a professional's help, and he's still just a kid. Arnold's going to struggle a bit since he's struggling with a combination of the spell plus an addiction. Thanks for the review.  
 _ **Echopapa**_ : He certainly was at that moment. Thanks for the review.  
 _ **PlayOutInTheRain**_ : Yeah, they're having some difficulties, especially Arnold, but that's typical for what he's going through. Doctor Bliss and Helga talk more in this one, and this should be a little less disturbing. To tell you the truth, I had to take a break from that scene with Arnold and Stella in the last chapter. I wasn't disgusted, more like laughing hysterically at how messed up the whole thing was lol. Thanks for the review.  
 _ **Thatamosgirl:**_ Lol, I was laughing while writing it too! Helga talks more with Doctor Bliss in this one, and yes, Arnold is _finally_ getting closer to saying those three little words. You'll see a bit of progress on his end in this chapter. Thanks for the review.  
 _ **CoolGirl-Pataki:**_ I know, I sent you a PM in response. Thanks again for the review.  
 _ **Em Pataki:**_ I would have been upset and angry about it too. I would've killed my own boyfriend at the time. Arnold should have been honest with Helga at the beginning. Helga's getting better at handling her aggression, and this chapter, that progress continues. Thanks for the review.

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Lasting Change**

 **Thursday May 19th...**

Doctor Bliss was sitting down on her chair, facing Helga, and holding the purple composition notebook in her hands. She was looking at the information Helga wrote down on the first page in surprise. She was expecting her to see Arnold's flaws, but she wasn't expecting a list of twenty things. The only thing Helga had left out was Arnold's sexual struggle. Out of love for him, she chose not to tell Doctor Bliss about it.

Doctor Bliss looked up and said to Helga, "I'm surprised you were able to find so many flaws of Arnold's in such a short time."

Helga was sitting down on the couch with her right leg over her left. She said, "It wasn't _too_ difficult. Once I found _one_ thing, the words just flowed right out. I guess he isn't as _perfect_ as I thought." _At least I'm realizing he's as messed up as I am._

Doctor Bliss nodded as she closed the notebook and put it on the table beside her, to give back to Helga at the end of the session. She said, "Okay, let's talk about something else. When did you stop getting along with your classmates?"

Helga had to laugh, "Are you _kidding?_ I've _never_ gotten along with my classmates. They've been getting on my nerves since the first day of preschool. I was a bully as soon as they started teasing me about my feelings for Arnold."

Doctor Bliss said, "Who was teasing you in preschool?"

Helga said, "Don't you remember? Harold stole my crackers and then when Arnold gave me _his,_ he started picking on me for liking him. He kept making facial expressions and blinking his eyes repeatedly to taunt me. It's too bad he made me cry before I hit him and stepped on his stomach."

Doctor Bliss asked gently, "So, Harold was the reason you decided to be an aggressor?"

Helga shrugged, "I don't know if he was the _reason,_ but he was obviously a _factor_ in it. All of the other kids were laughing too once _he_ started."

Doctor Bliss got up from her seat and walked over to her desk. She grabbed a cognitive behavioral therapy distortions worksheet. After that, she grabbed the composition book on the table and then made her way back to Helga. She sat next to her on the left and handed her the papers and the notebook. She said, "My assignment for you tonight is to write everything down that you dislike about _Harold._ Once you write down your thoughts, I would like you to distort them. On Friday when you go to school, I want you to spend some of your free time with Harold and talk with him about all of the things you wrote down."

Helga looked at Doctor Bliss skeptically, "Are you _crazy?_ I've already punched Harold _once_ this year."

Doctor Bliss explained, "This will give you an opportunity to talk with Harold about how you feel and talk about how he's hurt you in the past. When you come back for your next session on Tuesday, we'll talk about your experience."

* * *

 **Friday May 20th...**

Helga was in the school cafeteria, in the center of the room. She groaned and put her left hand on her forehead as she thought about what Doctor Bliss asked her to do.

She thought to herself, _The Doc's got to be_ _insane_ _. I'm supposed to talk to Harold without hitting him? Whoa-boy, that will be the day. Then again, she was right about_ _Arnold_ _having flaws._

Speaking of her boyfriend, Arnold was approaching her from the left after walking out of the cafeteria line. He had a plate of chicken nuggets and fries in his hands. He said to her gently, "Is something wrong, Helga? You've been sitting there for a couple minutes, looking off into the distance."

Helga closed her eyes and sighed, "My next assignment with Doctor Bliss is that I'm supposed to sit down and _talk_ with Harold."

Arnold asked, "Well, what's so bad about _that?"_

"What's so _bad_ about it?! Didn't you hear what I just _said?_ I'm supposed to _talk_ to Harold. _Talk!_ No hitting, screaming, or punching required!"

Arnold shrugged, "Well, if Doctor Bliss gave you the assignment, you know you have to do it. It's the only way you're going to get better."

Helga glanced at him and raised her left eyebrow. She said, "Who's side are you on, anyway? And what assignment are _you_ working on to get better? After your relapse a few days ago, I don't see _you_ talking to somebody like I am."

He said to her, "I'm going back to what I did before. Reading self-help books, meditating, taking showers—"

"—If it didn't work _before,_ what makes you think it's going to work _now?"_ She focused on _his_ problems to avoid spending time with Harold.

Despite her hurtful words, Arnold smiled, "Giving up isn't an option when I'm living with _you._ If I were to give up and give in, how would _that_ make anything better for us? The best thing is to keep trying and put those days behind me. Like I told you after your fight with Rhonda, just because you fail doesn't make you a failure. I would like for you to have faith in _me,_ just like I do in you."

Helga narrowed her eyes, looking bored, "You know, you _really_ need to get your optimistic head out of the clouds. You're going to make mistakes whether you like it or not."

Arnold glanced over at Harold, who was sitting with Patti. He now realized that she was stalling from talking to Harold, "Maybe so, but that has _nothing_ to do with the decision _you_ need to make _now._ Doctor Bliss is asking you to sit with Harold and talk with him, and I think you should do it. If the first thing she told you to do by writing down all my flaws was helpful, I think you should trust that what she's telling you to do _now_ is going to be helpful as well."

Helga sighed, a bit frustrated with no other alternatives. She said sarcastically, "Well, thanks, Arnoldo. Way to state the obvious."

Arnold smiled at her before he turned to walk away to sit with Gerald.

Helga sighed deeply before making her way over to Harold, who was sitting with Patti.

Patti looked up at Helga as she approached them. She said, cautiously, "Hello, Helga. What did you need?"

Helga gulped. Even with Patti in the same grade now, and an agreement to keep their fight in the past, she was nervous. She said to her, "Hey, uh, Patti. Not meaning to interrupt your lunch or anything like that, but can I speak to Harold for a couple minutes?"

Patti nodded as she said, "It's fine. I have to go to my locker to get my pre-algebra book anyway, to get a head start." Patti turned to her boyfriend to say, "I'll see you later, Harold."

"See you, Patti," Harold was totally smitten at the sixth grader as he watched her walk away. He turned to Helga, looking more than a little scared as she walked closer to him. He was concerned she was going to hit him again.

Helga sat down next to him, sighing aloud before she said, pointing at him, "Okay, listen up and listen good cause I'm only going to say this once. I'm sitting with you to talk about some _stuff._ Whether you agree or not with the stuff doesn't matter. It's a stupid assignment I've got to do, nothing else. Don't get _chummy_ with me or anything, got it?"

Harold said to her, "So, you didn't come over here to pound me?"

Helga blinked, "Why the heck would you think I'd do that? We haven't argued with each other in over a week. What, did you _want_ to be pounded or something?"

Harold said with fear, "N—no, of course not," he mumbled, "Madam Fortress Mommy."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm _not_ going to pound you, Bucko, I'm just here to _talk."_

Harold was more than a little confused. He thought for _sure_ Helga hated him, so why would she want to talk to him? He said, "Well, okay. What did you want to talk about? Does it have something to do with a school assignment? Because I don't know if I know the answer or not."

Helga groaned. She wasn't angry at this point, just _irritated._ How could she and Harold find _anything_ interesting to talk about together? She tried again, "How's your relationship with the Princess?"

He said, "Rhonda? Oh, we broke up a long time ago."

She said, "What? _Why?_ You two seemed like the perfect match. When you were together, you couldn't get _enough_ of each other." _As sickening as that is to imagine right now._

He said sadly, "She broke up with me because I'm a bully. She said I was obnoxious and loud and angry, and she didn't want to date a guy like me."

She thought to herself. _Why does_ _that_ _not surprise me?_ She said aloud, "Well, there's more fish in the sea, right? You'll probably find another girl. We're only in the sixth grade."

He said, "Patti and I are dating, but I'm worried she's going to break up with me for the same reasons she did in fifth grade."

She twiddled her fingers bored-like, and said, "Let me guess, you were loud and obnoxious in the fifth grade too, right?"

He said, "Oh, Patti doesn't care about all of that stuff. She's not like other girls."

She said, "Then, why would she end it with you?"

He said, "I always wanted to be the best at everything. She beat me at a couple competitions and I threw a fit. She said we'd be better off as friends."

She said, "Well, you've got the girl _now,_ so what's the problem?"

He said, "I can't change. I'm always going to be competitive and mean when I don't get my way. She'll probably end the relationship with me by the summertime."

She looked at him curiously, "What are you talking about? If _I_ can sit down and have a conversation with a bully like you, I'm sure _you_ could handle a _relationship_."

He said, "But I'm so _stupid!_ I _always_ seem to do something wrong in relationships. I'm not even good at school work. I'm not good at anything. I have nothing good to offer, and like you said, I'm a _bully_."

Helga looked into Harold's eyes and for the first time, she saw a person who was weak and insecure, not just somebody who was a bully.

He tried to start up another conversation, not wanting to talk about his failures with her. He said, "How are you and Arnold doing?"

Helga blinked. To say she was shocked with the question was an understatement. She was speechless. She stuttered, "What—w—why would you _ask_ me that?!"

Harold said to her honestly, "Maybe you can help me since you guys have been together all year. That's longer than me and Patti or me and Rhonda put together. Gerald and Phoebe aren't together anymore. They only lasted nine months. I'm sure you and Arnold will even outlast _them._ "

Helga put her left elbow on the table, and her head on her left hand and looked into his eyes, skeptically, "Are you seriously asking _me_ for relationship advice, after _you've_ been teasing me about my feelings for Arnold for _years?"_

Harold said, "What are you talking about, Helga. You're confusing me. I haven't been picking on you for _years_."

Helga scowled, "Since preschool, _Pink Boy._ You've been making fun of my ears and eyebrows and facial expressions for _years."_

Harold scratched his head, "I guess I didn't know it's been _that_ long. Anyway, what's your secret?"

Helga admitted, "You mean, other than the fact that I don't _like_ you, and you're angry and annoying and mean?"

Harold snapped at her, "Hey, I'm not angry and I'm not mean! I'm just…!" he sighed, "Well, I'm misunderstood."

She had to laugh at that, and said, "Well, _that's_ obvious."

He asked her, "So, what are you doing different than all of us? How are you two staying together so long?"

She scowled, "Why does it matter to _you?_ Are you _trying_ to find another reason to _pick_ on me?"

He said confused, "Why would I do _that?_ I just want to make my relationship with Patti better."

She looked at him, "You mean... no judging me and no taunting me if we talk about Arnold? Are you _serious?"_

Harold put his hands together and begged, _"Please_ , Helga? I just want some help. I won't tease you and Arnold anymore if it bothers you."

She said skeptically, "Why stop teasing me _now?_ You've been doing it for _years._ What's changed now?"

He said, "I'm going into middle school next year and I have no friends. I don't want to be alone the rest of my life because of my problems or because I'm a bully."

She shrugged, "Why take out your aggression on everybody _else_ then? Don't you think _they_ deserve the right to be treated with _respect?"_

He said, "I guess I…" he rubbed his left arm with his right hand nervously, "Well, I guess it makes me feel better about myself."

Her eyes widened, "By treating everybody like _crap?"_ _Hmm, that sounds familiar. Maybe Harold and I have more in common than I_ _thought_ _._

He said to her, "Well, _yeah_ , how _else_ are they going to respect me?"

 _By being_ _nice_ _to them! Wait a minute, what are you saying, Helga ol' girl? You're accusing_ _him_ _of doing the same thing you've been doing with everyone for years! Criminy, maybe I ought to wise up and quit being so defensive around him._ Helga took a deep breath before she said, "I _guess_ I can understand _that,_ but I wouldn't have treated you like crap if you just treated me kind from the beginning, back in Preschool."

Harold was surprised and said to her, "Do you _mean_ that, Helga? You mean, you would stop yelling and screaming and punching me and calling me names and—"

"—Well, _criminy,_ when you say it like _that_ it sounds like I'm the bigger bully." _I never wanted to sound like_ _that_ _, even to_ _him_ _. I was only trying to protect myself. I guess he was trying to protect himself, too._

He said, "But you _are_ a bully Helga, just like _me_."

She put her hands out and said, frustrated, "I'm _not_ a bully. I can be _nice._ I'm just... misunderstood." She blinked at the word she used, and her eyes met Harold's. They both smiled at each other in understanding, feeling a sort of connection they never felt before.

After a few seconds, he said to her, "So, how do you live with each other and get along?"

She laughed, "First of all, we don't _always_ get along. Fighting is part of _every_ relationship, right?" She took a deep breath before explaining to him, "We get along better as we get to _know_ each other better. We discover what's wrong with the other one. It's shocking after thinking the other one is flawless, right? Well, nobody's perfect in the relationship. Remember that. I guarantee you that Patti has her own baggage. The flaws are the things that cause the moments where you don't get along, and you argue. If you both want the relationship to work out, you'll have to _deal_ with your problems, sometimes one **-** on **-** one. It's not a one-sided thing when you're together. Arnold does things that _I_ think are annoying, and I do things that _he_ thinks are annoying. We have to talk it out and see how it can be fixed. If you can sit down with Patti and discuss what you think is wrong _rationally_ like Arnold and I try to do, then there's a chance you and her will stick together like us. Also, you both got to _want_ each other. And _that,_ Pink Boy, is the _secret_ of getting along."

Harold thought for a moment about what she said, "Oh, okay. Hey, I've got an extra ticket to Wrestle-mania this Saturday and Patti is going to her grandparents this weekend. She told me to go with someone else. Did you want to go with me?"

Helga's eyes went wide, and she grinned at the suggestion, "Are you _kidding?_ How could I say no to _that?!"_ She thought to herself. _I've been_ _dying_ _to attend one of those again, but I haven't had the money. Wonders never cease. I guess this whole being nice thing isn't so_ _bad_ _after all._

* * *

 **Saturday May 21st...**

It was six-thirty at night. Arnold had his night clothes on as he walked over to sit on the couch. He said to his girlfriend, "I'm impressed to see that you've been talking with Harold civilly." He stopped speaking to change his words around, "I… I mean, not that you _couldn't,_ I'm just surprised that you're getting along so well. What happened?"

Helga shrugged before she walked over to Arnold to sit on the left of him, "Eh, I'm not sure myself. I guess we realized we had a lot in common, and I realized everything he did in the past wasn't meant to hurt me. I forgave him."

He felt his heart speeding up as he looked at her. He felt odd, but not because he was physically turned on by her. Something was _different_ , but he couldn't figure out _what._ He tried to ignore it as he smiled at her, "That's a mature way of looking at things. I'm proud of you."

She changed the subject, not wanting to focus on her past mistakes, "So, what day are _you_ on in your recovery?"

He looked into her eyes and said sadly, "Day four. I haven't done anything since I admitted to messing up."

She said gently, "So, I take it you're not starting at day _thirty,_ huh? While I'm out with Harold tonight, why don't you spend some time with your best friend or go to the arcades? With all that money you gave me, I'm _sure_ you have some lying around in this place _somewhere."_

He laughed at her attempt to try to help him out, but he certainly appreciated it, "It's okay, I'll be fine. You have a good time with Harold tonight. You deserve it," he put his hand on her left shoulder and leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips, making Helga freeze in shock because of his rare affections. After he pulled away, he whispered to her, "I'm yours, don't worry."

* * *

 **Tuesday June 1st...**

Doctor Bliss was sitting in her chair, taking notes. She said to Helga, "So, you and Harold went to Wrestle-mania this weekend?"

Helga was sitting on the couch. She said, "Eh, it isn't the _first_ time we've been to Wrestle-mania together."

Doctor Bliss said, "It's not?"

Helga nodded, "The first time wasn't because of the greatest circumstances. We went to the Chocolate Factory for a class field trip and the Numb-skull was _still_ inside when we left early, trying to eat his weight in _chocolate._ I ran back to get him before the bus took off, but it took off without us. I was planning on going to Wrestle-mania that night, and I couldn't think of anything else all _day._ I ended up listening to Harold's plans that seemed to backfire every time, but he somehow got us to Wrestle-mania. His cousin works there and lets him in all the time."

Doctor Bliss smiled, "So, I'm guessing this isn't going to be your last trip to Wrestle-mania this year?"

Helga laughed, feeling good for a change, "Harold's already got tickets for the _next_ one showing _next_ month. He's even got _mine."_

Doctor Bliss said, "I'm glad to hear that you and Harold were able to work out your differences."

Helga shrugged, "I realized he acts a lot like _I_ do because of his insecurities. Can't really hold it against him now that I understand."

Doctor Bliss smiled knowingly, " _Really_ now?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I act the same way to protect myself. I figured I'd grant him some mercy and he did the same for me."

Doctor Bliss changed the subject, "So, who else do you have trouble getting along with in your class?"

Helga thought for a moment. She said, "I don't get along with _Rhonda-Lloyd._ A couple weeks ago, I got in a huge fight and punched her for saying I should have been aborted. We both just got done serving two weeks detention together last Friday."

Doctor Bliss said, "That's not a very nice thing she said to you."

Helga said, "Yeah, but I didn't realize until later that _I_ said the same thing to _her._ I kind of deserved the backlash."

Doctor Bliss said to her, "Nobody deserves to be talked down to, Helga."

Helga nodded slightly as she turned away, "I guess I'm starting to see that, too."

Doctor Bliss responded, "So, how about for your next assignment, I give you another cognitive behavioral therapy worksheet and you fill it out and talk with Rhonda? Does that sound good?"

Helga shrugged, "Not something I want to do, but I _guess_ it's worth a shot."

* * *

 **Wednesday June 1st...**

This time at lunch, Helga made her way over to Rhonda without any questions or complaining. She sat across from Rhonda and Nadine, flipping her thumb to say to Nadine, "Take a back seat, Hun. I've got to talk with your best friend for a couple minutes."

Nadine gave Rhonda a curious look. When Rhonda held up her hands and shrugged, Nadine turned to Helga and said, "I guess I'll talk with you later, Helga."

 _Yeah, I'll see you late_ _r_ , _Bug-Girl_ _._ Helga thought as she watched Nadine walk away before she turned to Rhonda and said aloud, "What's up, _Princess?"_

Rhonda was more than a bit confused. She said, "Are you trying to make nice with me after more than a week in detention together? What gives?"

Helga said, honestly, "It's the end of sixth grade. Isn't it better to make amends then to go around being bitter with each other in middle school? We might not have the same _classes_ together."

"Well, I suppose you _do_ have a point." Rhonda sighed before saying, "I'm sorry for what I said back then, Helga."

"Me too, _Princess._ So, what party are you throwing next for the sixth-grade class?"

Rhonda smiled proudly and said, "Oh, a graduation party, of course. Mommy and Daddy got a hotel and have decided to leave me by myself at the house to watch it. It will be the _first_ time I'll be by myself in that house, and the class is invited."

Helga smirked, "Couldn't you get in _trouble_ for all of that if your parents found out, _Lloyd?"_

The smirk on Rhonda's face matched Helga's. She said, "Maybe, but _I'm_ not one to kiss and tell. Besides, what my parents don't know won't hurt them. It's not like we're going to be drinking or making the place a mess. But it is a _swell_ time to celebrate going off to middle school."

Helga asked curiously, "When's the party?"

Rhonda said, "June eleventh. Although there _is_ one problem, I haven't decided what party games to include. I want something mature for going off to middle school, but fun."

Helga put her left hand on her chin to think for a moment. She said, "I guess a dance contest would be a pretty cool idea."

Rhonda said, "Hmm, very _sophisticated._ But where would I have everybody dance?"

Helga narrowed her eyes, "You have a _balcony_ on your back porch, right? Why don't you use it? It's not rocket science."

Rhonda nodded, "True. I appreciate that advice, Helga."

Helga leaned over towards her, "So, I take it you're _inviting_ me this time?"

Rhonda leaned over and whispered with a grin, "As long as you remember your _dance_ shoes."

* * *

 **Thursday June 2nd...**

Helga was talking to Doctor Bliss that afternoon. She was lying on the couch, comfortable for once talking about her day, "So, anyway, Nadine told me all about her and Rhonda's fight over that _stupid_ project. I can't _believe_ somebody would be so _repulsed_ over bugs. Just like the Princess to overreact."

Doctor Bliss was grabbing some papers and a couple workbooks at her desk as she asked, "Are they friends now?"

Helga laughed, "Well, _yeah_ they're best friends again, because of _Arnold._ They did a bug fashion show to combine their interests."

Doctor Bliss walked over to sit down at her chair. She paused a moment as she put the papers and the workbooks she grabbed from her desk in front of her. She said to Helga, "Arnold has helped _a lot_ of people in your neighborhood, hasn't he?"

Helga admitted, "Yeah, he's not a bad egg."

Doctor Bliss asked, "So, how did the rest of your project go with Nadine?"

"Pretty good. We chatted half of the time because we finished the project quickly. Who would ever believe _Bug-Girl_ was so smart?"

Doctor Bliss smiled, "You've made tremendous improvements over the last few weeks. I'm proud of you."

Helga shrugged, "It's no big deal. I guess I needed to talk with people, huh? I didn't understand their life stories until they told me about them. I guess it made me see things in a different perspective."

Doctor Bliss smiled as she grabbed the two workbooks and papers and walked over to Helga. She said, "Yes, you've done well, Helga. I suggest that you continue your progress outside of therapy, as long as you keep up with your CBT paperwork and meditation."

Helga sat up for a moment and stared at Doctor Bliss in stunned silence before laughing hysterically. She said, "I'm sorry, Doc. I thought you told me I didn't need therapy anymore, but I think I misheard you. What did you say?"

Doctor Bliss sat down to the left of her as she sat up on the right, "I have two books I would like to give you and some practice problems to help you along."

Helga said worried, "But, you're not ending my therapy after three _weeks,_ _right?"_

Doctor Bliss handed her the workbooks and papers, "It's _your_ decision whether or not you would like to continue therapy, but I believe you've got the information you need here."

Helga exclaimed, "What?! But it's only been three _weeks!_ You and Arnold _both_ told me three weeks isn't long enough for a person to change!"

Doctor Bliss nodded as she explained, "Three weeks is _never_ long enough for a person that isn't ready to embrace change."

Helga exasperated, " _Exactly!_ I _can't_ go out in this world and work through my problems all by myself. What are you thinking?!"

"You're misunderstanding me, Helga." Doctor Bliss smiled as she said, "You're a smart kid and a fast learner. When you were in the fourth grade, you weren't ready to change. Now, you're a mature person who has chosen to see things in a different light. You're making friends with people in your class, you're beginning to talk with your sister on the phone, and your relationship with Arnold is becoming more stable. You may have been through a lot this year, but the loss of your father and mother has caused you to learn from your mistakes, and cope with the family and friends that you have left. You can attend the last two sessions if you would like, but I'm not requiring it."

Helga's eyes widened, "Well, _crap._ What am I supposed to do with the ninety dollars I've got left?"

Doctor Bliss put her right hand on Helga's shoulder, "You're a wonderful person, Helga, and I realize you haven't had a lot financially. Use the extra money to treat yourself to something you've been wanting."

Helga looked up at Doctor Bliss in surprise, "Well, um, _thanks,_ I guess." She was silent for a moment before getting up to walk towards the door. As she grabbed the door handle, she said blankly, "I guess I'll see you in the funny papers, right?"

Doctor Bliss walked over to her desk as she said to Helga, "If you decide later to seek additional treatment, call the office, but I have faith in you, Helga."

Helga said before walking out, "I appreciate that, Doc."

* * *

 **Friday June 3rd...**

As the bell rang for the classes at P.S. 118 to start that morning, Mr. Frank sat up from his desk to walk in front of the classroom. He said, "There will be an end-of-the-year project for all the sixth graders that you must participate in. You will need to write a five-page essay on a difficulty you've conquered in elementary school. You will describe how it will help you later as you go through middle school and high school. The best one will be chosen to be read aloud to the sixth-grade student body at graduation. I'm giving you this project today. It is due on Monday June sixth and will be returned to you, graded, the day after. Graduation will be on Friday, June tenth, and that will be a half day for all the sixth graders. I will now pass back your book reports and then you may start on your essays. That is all." He quietly went back to his desk to grab the book reports on top. He started to hand them back to everyone.

Phoebe looked at Helga as their teacher was passing back papers. She couldn't help but admit, "I was thinking about doing my paper on romantic relationships, and how a person can get dragged down by someone who doesn't want to do their share. Relationships are a two-way street. I've decided to focus on other relationships instead, and to concentrate on my studies. Does that sound like a good project idea?"

Helga smirked, "Phoebs, your paper is going to be _perfect_ just like all your others. Maybe instead of just giving it to Mr. Frank, you should hand it to Gerald. Maybe it will knock some _sense_ into him." _And maybe_ _then_ _he'll stop giving me those weird looks. I swear men are visual when it comes to sex. He's lucky I didn't hit him while I had the chance._

Phoebe thought about it a moment before changing the subject and asking her, "So, what are you writing for _your_ project, Helga?"

Helga smiled as she thought about all the ways Arnold and Doctor Bliss have helped her out that year. She had to admit that her therapy had worked well. She thought to herself a moment before saying to Phoebe, "Oh, I've got some ideas up my sleeves."

* * *

Gerald turned to Arnold who was sitting on the right. Unlike Phoebe, he wasn't thinking about his previous relationship at all. He said to Arnold, "I'm doing _my_ project on how we beat Wolfgang and reclaimed Gerald field in fifth grade. What are you working on for the project, Arnold?"

Arnold thought a moment before reaching in his desk to pull out a self-help book, with a blue cover on it. He opened it up to the middle, where it was bookmarked. He decided to work on his school project later, and concentrate on his healing from addiction now, "I'll have to figure it out later. We have until Monday, so I'm going to catch up on my reading."

Gerald raised an eyebrow. He said, " _Catch up_ on your reading? All you ever _do_ is read. Haven't you been reading _enough_ of those mysterious books? Whatever you're reading about, you're liable to be an _expert_ on it by now."

Arnold smiled slightly as he turned a page in the book. He said, " _Far_ from an expert on the subject, but it _is_ helping me."

Gerald noticed the plain blue book cover, and said to him, "And let me guess, you're not going to tell me _what_ you're reading about, right?"

Arnold nodded and said, "I would like to keep it to myself right now. When we're a little older, I'll talk with you about it."

Gerald asked curiously, "What about whatever was going on in your room a _week_ ago? When are you going to tell me about _that_?"

Arnold looked up from his self-help book, and explained, "Sometimes people like to keep things secret in the relationships they carry. I prefer to keep my physical relationship with Helga private."

Gerald shook his head, "Whatever you say, Arnold, just make sure you lock the door next time if you're trying to keep it from your family. I _still_ think you're insane, but I suppose you've done _crazier_ things over the years besides dating your arch-nemesis."

Arnold felt defensive for some reason, and said to him, "She's _not_ my arch-nemesis. She's a strong, caring and understanding person."

Gerald chanced a glance at Helga, who was talking to his ex-girlfriend with an engaged interest. When Helga looked back at him and growled, he turned around quickly, trying not to act like he was just staring. He said to Arnold truthfully, "I wish I could say the same thing about _Phoebe."_

* * *

 **Later that night…**

Helga walked upstairs from having dinner that afternoon. Arnold wasn't at the table. He was upstairs working on his project. She walked in his room to see him on his bed with his knees up and a notebook in his lap. He was sitting in front of his pillows, writing furiously.

She held out her right hand as she approached him, "Aren't you going to eat dinner tonight? You can't survive just breathing air."

He didn't look up from his paper as he responded, "I want to get this project done early so that I don't have to worry about it this weekend. Me and the guys are supposed to go to the arcade tomorrow afternoon."

"About _time_ you did something fun for yourself for a change." She attempted conversation with him, _"I've_ already finished _my_ project."

He took a break from writing and looked up at her in surprise. He said, " _That_ was fast. What did you decide to write about?"

 _How living with you has made me a better person._ But, instead, she said aloud, "Losing my family and learning to survive on my own."

His eyes widened as he said to her, "I'm surprised you've finished the paper so _fast."_

She shrugged as she walked a bit closer to him, "It's easier to write about something you're experiencing _now_ than to go back in the past. Writing's also like therapy. It's helped me to move on, you know, start a new chapter in my life."

As he listened to her, Arnold couldn't help but feel something deep in his heart. It wasn't the first time he'd felt it, but it was still an odd feeling. He was more comfortable being physically attracted to her than whatever _this_ was. He tried to push the odd feelings aside as he said to her, "Wow. Doctor Bliss's treatment helped you out _a lot,_ huh?"

"Not just Doctor Bliss, Bucko, _you_ helped me. You never gave up on me. You always believed I could change throughout the years even when I didn't believe I needed to. You worked on all those worksheets with me and we meditated together. You suggested all those self-help books at the library for me. You started me on exposure therapy. You got me talking to my sister again. There's no _way_ I can repay you," she looked away a moment, " _except_ with cash."

He blinked in confusion. He said, "What are you talking about? You don't do any chores in the house or bring in money from other means. Also, I'm not requiring you to pay me. I helped you because I _wanted_ to."

She nodded and said, "Doctor Bliss gave me two workbooks along with a bunch of papers on CBT to work through for the rest of the year. She told me I didn't need to attend the last two sessions unless I wanted to, so I'm giving you back the ninety dollars that's left. You've _earned_ it, after all."

He felt his heart flutter again and skip a beat. He pushed the feelings down and dismissed them as feeling sexually frustrated. He tried to focus on responding to her, "How do you _feel_ about all of this? It must feel _odd_ being told that you're healed, although I _do_ agree with her."

She put her hands on her hips before saying, "Not so fast, Football Head. She said I didn't need to seek her services anymore unless I wanted to. She never said I was _healed._ I need to do the same thing _you've_ been doing until it becomes a habit. You think I can make nice everyday with the class without _thinking_ about it? Fat chance! I've been bitter, hateful and aggressive for nine _years_." She changed the subject as she pointed over to the shelves beside his bed and said, "You see that little pink book of poems I wrote about you in fourth grade on the bottom shelf? I put the money in the book. It's inside a sheet of paper. I wouldn't mind you reading what I wrote in there in your spare time. I've always been better at expressing my feelings on paper."

He glanced over at the little pink book that she had written in fourth grade, and then looked over at her and smiled, "I had a feeling that you wrote it. You use the same purple pen at school every day that you used for the pink book."

Helga rolled her eyes. Sometimes his obliviousness got on her last _nerve_ , "I would _hope_ you would know it was mine by now just from the fact I've told you that I write poetry. Yeesh, how thick headed can you _be_?"

"Helga, I thought you were learning to be _nice_." He sighed as he reached for the book to pull it off the shelf. He opened it to the page she was referring to, with the piece of folded paper in the middle of it.

She shrugged, "Sorry, _Goof-wad,_ old habits die hard."

He put the money to the left of him and grabbed the folded sheet of paper. He was _much_ more interested in a heartfelt confession than any money from her. He opened it, immediately seeking the words of the poem on the page. He read it silently to himself.

 _ **My tormented heart yearns for you,**_

 _ **My soul quakes, my frame aches, but you don't have a clue.  
**_

 _ **To be relentless and loving is my true desire.**_

 _ **But my heart thrashes, my tongue lashes, my being is on fire.  
**_

 _ **Previously sovereign and unblemished, before awakening.**_

 _ **The attraction was fatal, my ignorance was mistaking.**_

 _ **Nevertheless, unconditional love pours through these flames,**_

 _ **As I seek aid, unafraid, ready to take your last name.**_

 _ **I love you, Football Head, my soul and heart.**_

 _ **Even in resistance, we're never apart.**_

Arnold swallowed as he read the beautiful and heartfelt words. He looked up at her. He was more than just _touched._ He felt like he was going to lose control for some reason _._ His girlfriend told him that she still loved him, even though he wasn't perfect. Wasn't this the purest love he'd ever partaken in?

She waited for him to respond instead of just _look_ at her. She was getting nervous. She knew he would like it, but his silence was deafening. He could _at least_ vocalize his feelings for the poem.

He sat the book and the note down on the left of him where he put the ninety dollars. He was breathless. He got off the bed to walk over to Helga, who was crossing her arms and watching him curiously.

She said, "Well, do you like it? Or are you going to keep being _ridiculously_ silent for no rea—" He met her lips with his heatedly, grabbing her arms to lock his hands into hers, backing her up towards the bedroom door until it shut. His hands roamed her arms as he licked her lips passionately, trying to get his tongue in her mouth.

Helga breathed as she opened her mouth and felt his wet tongue stroke hers. He moved clockwise until he gathered a rhythm they were both accustomed to. He breathed harshly as he lowered his left hand to lock his room door, and his right hand to feel down the side of her body.

She felt her body shiver at his touch before forcing herself to break the kiss and put her hands on his shoulders. She knew he was trying to resist this, so what was he doing _now_? She had to stop him from giving in, out of unconditional love. She said to him, " _Control_ yourself. You _can't_ just give up and give in after all your hard work _._ Aren't you on week _two_ again?"

He took a shaky breath as he looked into her eyes. After sixteen days, he was growing frustrated from fighting the physical temptations again. He said, "I just want to extinguish these _flames._ Like you said in your poem. You have a _yearning_ desire for me. I have one for you, too."

She pulled him closer to her before he could kiss her. She put his head on her left shoulder as she tried to fight her _own_ passion for him. She whispered to him, "My love, I know you _want_ me _,_ but this isn't the time or place to do it."

He groaned in her shoulder as his body shivered in want. He was aching to have her, right _then,_ but it didn't feel like sex that he wanted. He knew he wanted something _deeper,_ more passionate and meaningful. Why was she refusing _now?!_ He pulled back to look in her eyes. He grabbed her shoulders and admitted to her in a whisper, "I can't be near you without getting... _excited._ Do you even realize what you _do_ to me?" he gently pushed his hips against her own as he leaned closer to her. The gasp she let out told him that she could _feel_ how _excited_ he was. He took a forced breath, "I can't believe I could _want_ someone this bad, _"_ He took a harsh breath as he whispered to her, "You drive me _crazy."_

She groaned as she felt her girlhood trembling. She met his lips with hers, unable to resist the passion. She moaned in his mouth as she battled against his tongue, _and_ her self-control. Finally, she managed to pull back. She said to him weakly, "You know I _want_ you _,_ but _now_ is _not_ the time."

He groaned desperately as he forced himself to step away. He rubbed his neck with his left hand, and sighed before saying, "You are _something,_ you know that? Haven't you been wanting this too?"

Helga laughed as she grabbed the door, "Take a chill pill or something. You _know_ we can't _do_ stuff while all the boarders and your _parents_ are in the house. Besides, you're supposed to be _resisting_ this. Isn't _that_ what _you_ want to do?"

Arnold bit his lip. Sure, his mind wanted to be a gentleman and resist having sex, but his body and mind were two different things. He groaned, "You're right, I'm sorry. I've got to calm down. I lost control there for a second."

She nodded, "It happens. Why don't you use that money I gave you to treat yourself to one of them fancy French restaurants? Get your mind off this. Maybe you can catch a late-night thriller at the theater afterwards."

He looked at her, feeling his heart fluttering in his chest again. He said to her, "Going to those things aren't the same without _you."_

She said bluntly, "Well, you need to figure out _something_ to do with all that money. I'm going downstairs to use the phone and give you a breather. Try to relax, okay?"

He watched her walk out of his room. He thought about what he could do with the money she gave back to him.

 _Shouldn't I be doing something productive with the money other than treating myself? Maybe I should be seeking Doctor Bliss's services for_ _me_ _. Maybe it will distract me from these sexual urges and help me be a better boyfriend to Helga..._


	19. Chapter 19: Arnold on the Couch

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M Rated.** This chapter is rated **Teen.**

The _italics_ on Arnold's Flashback of Trash-can day is being used with permission from **TheWasp1995** 's story, _"Longest Monday: Revenge of the Fifth Graders"_ Thanks again!

* * *

 **Reviews:**  
 **The J.A.M** **.** **:** Yeah, Gerald should've gotten a black eye, yeah with time anybody can learn self-control, but it's a _learned_ behavior. Thanks for the encouragement, but I'm sure you can do poetry just as good. Don't ask me to draw, though, I'm awful at it lol, thanks for the review.  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** I analyze the _heck_ out of Arnold in this. Enjoy, and thanks for the review.  
 **FullThrottleAmmy:** Yeah, you'll like every part of this except where Arnold brings up AFD. It's so Arnold that you're going to want to smack him. Thanks for the review.  
 **TheWasp1995:** Thanks for your reviews! Life gets busy, I understand that _too_ well. You were the only one that saw Arnold's ' _slip-up'_. It probably _would've_ been better for Stella to understand what Arnold did, but I'm waiting for the _next_ chapter to reveal it. Arnold tells her _everything_ in chapter 20. It's kind of shocking, but yeah, _that's_ the only reason I made her clueless there. Plus, it was uncomfortable to write _without_ her knowing what was on his keyboard. I enjoy making Gerald suffer, but he was bound to walk in on something _else_. Arnold's maturity comes out during the end of this chapter. Hate to say it, but Arnold is _still_ confused about his feelings for Helga, and you'll see that in this chapter (although you'll _love_ how I tied in ' _Revenge of the fifth graders'_ in this story and made it _canon_ , so to speak.)  
 **Starfiction123:** Glad to hear _that,_ and thanks for the review!  
 **SakiKitty:** Lmao, _seriously?_ Is _that_ what people think when they read my story? XD Well, I _do_ know at _this_ point if I want them to go _that_ far or not, and with three chapters left after this update, you'll see what I'm going to do soon. Yup, I only have three more chapters to write. It should be pleasing to _everyone_ the way I finalize the story, both those that _want_ that and those that _don't._ Thanks for the review!  
 **Em Pataki:** So glad you liked it, and thanks for the review!  
 **CoolGirl-Pataki:** Hey! I'll respond to your review _here_ this time: 1. You're right, she does. 2. Sometimes, I want to smack her. 3. Living with Arnold is causing her to grow up. 4. I melted writing it. 5. That's why I had to take it slow, unfortunately. 6. The party and the dance will _both_ be included, in chapter _21,_ which I am DYING to write! 7. Phoebe and Gerald are a _mess,_ lol. 8. Helga should _really_ hit him, shouldn't she? 9. And… Arnold isn't 100% certain of his feelings and in parts of his conversation with Doctor Bliss you're going to want to hit him… 10. Thank you! 11. It's getting to that point. 12. Here you go. This was fun to write! Enjoy! And thanks for the review!

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Arnold on the Couch**

Arnold called Doctor Bliss' office phone and scheduled an appointment with her on Saturday. She received two back-to-back cancellations for that afternoon, and asked him if he wanted to come in. He decided it was more important to talk with Doctor Bliss than to go out with his friends to the arcade. He boarded the bus to make his two back-to-back appointments at four and five. He wrote down the directions she told him over the phone. He wasn't about to get on the computer to print them out with the physical temptations he was having. It didn't matter that it was a public library. He was struggling with his thoughts. He had been resisting his urges for seventeen days, and he didn't need to give in _now._

He looked at the piece of paper in his hands as he walked in the office building. Her room number was two fourteen. He was guessing it was on floor two, room 14, and he started up the elevator to get there. After he got off the elevator, he followed the directions on the wall, and then knocked on the door when he got to the room. He reached in his left pocket and grabbed the ninety dollars to give to Doctor Bliss before putting his hands behind his back, patiently waiting for her to answer.

Doctor Bliss was sitting on a rolling chair at her desk, putting away papers when she heard the knock. She said aloud to him, "You can come in, Arnold. I'm straightening out my work area."

Arnold opened the door and looked around the room. He had never been in a counseling office before, even when he was grieving the loss of his parents in preschool and kindergarten. The office looked different than the offices that were portrayed on television shows and movies. It was organized and professional. There was a lot of open space, and there were books on the shelves of the wall. He noticed a couch for all the patients to sit in, and a chair for Doctor Bliss that was in front of it. He walked over to Doctor Bliss.

Doctor Bliss grabbed the clipboard on her desk with her left hand and got up. She walked over to the blond boy. After she approached him, she held out her right hand and smiled at him. He took it with his left hand and shook it, looking up at her.

After shaking his hand, she said to him, "It's an honor to finally meet you instead of just talking with you over the phone."

Arnold nodded. After they shook hands, he handed her the ninety dollars for his two sessions, and put his hands behind his back, nervously, "Likewise. I would like to thank you for all that you've done for Helga, and I thank you for getting me in the system for an appointment so _fast_. I wasn't expecting your schedule to be open today. I thought it would take a few more weeks for you to have something open up." He believed doctors and psychologists had booked schedules, considering the nature of their work.

Doctor Bliss smiled, "You were fortunate to get an appointment so soon. I'm usually booked a month in, but two people cancelled their appointments right before you called today. Please, have a seat on the couch, and don't be nervous. You're in good company here." Doctor Bliss walked over to her seat across from the couch to sit down, her notepad still in her hands. After Arnold was seated and he looked up at her with apprehension, she crossed her legs and said, "So, what made you decide to come in? Are you seeking future services for Helga, or help with something for yourself?"

He said, "I called for myself." He cleared his throat as he tried to explain, "I've been having trouble getting along with my family, and I've been letting simple things get to me."

Doctor Bliss wrote something down on her notepad before asking, "What's been bothering you?"

He held out his left hand as he replied, "I guess school work, school projects, disagreements with friends, you know, the normal stuff kids my age have to deal with." He chanced a glance at her expression.

She waited patiently for him to continue. She didn't believe that was the whole story.

He rubbed his right arm with his left hand and looked away, "And... I'm guessing that I have… very high testosterone levels," he blushed, "And it's contributing to a lot of my problems."

She looked up at him curiously, "High testosterone levels? What makes you think _that?"_

He continued to rub his arm nervously. He glanced back at her, "We… have strange DNA in our family. My grandpa had it when he was younger, so did my dad. I guess that's why I think I might be having problems with it." He wasn't a good liar, and he could tell Doctor Bliss was skeptical from his little fib.

She sensed he was hiding something or was afraid to tell her his _real_ reasons for his visit. She put her clipboard down on the table and put her hands together in her lap, "I think right now would be a good time to remind you about our confidentiality policies. Whatever you decide to admit in this office stays in this office. I'm not allowed to disclose anything that you say, unless you're planning on hurting yourself or somebody else."

He looked at her a moment and sighed. He knew they had certain policies against privacy, but it didn't make him feel better admitting that Helga put a spell on him, or that he was thinking about sex all the time. He wanted to get past this part of the session. He decided to use a different approach to explain the reasons for his visit. He said, "Would you say that psychological problems could contribute to building strongholds and addictions?" He put his hands on his lap, looking up at her.

She blinked in surprise at the strong terms the preteen in front of her was using. She nodded, "Yes, I would agree with you."

He looked into her eyes, "Well, I've always felt like I've had a hole in my heart, ever since I was a baby. Kind of like I have to face the world all by myself. I've been depressed and stressed, but I don't know the reason. I have everything I could want now, my parents are back after being gone for ten years, my girlfriend and I have been together for eight months and we're finally getting along, but I still feel alone. I don't know how to explain it, but I think it's contributing to some of my problems. I want to take away the loneliness somehow, but I feel guilty because I shouldn't be lonely. I should be happy. The only way I know how to deal with these feelings is by using... uh, an addictive tendency... to get it off my mind. I don't want to do that anymore. Sure, it's been a few weeks since I've tried to block out my feelings, but I don't think I could go on like this forever."

She could tell he was hesitant about explaining things any further. Fortunately, being a psychologist, she had an idea of what he may have been struggling with. She tried to reassure him that she wasn't a threat, and said, "I can tell you're nervous about opening up to me. Let's start at the beginning, since I'm just getting to know _you_ as well. Tell me a little about yourself and your life."

He said, "Are you sure you want me to start from the beginning? That would be when I was two. That's the first memory I have."

She said, "I think it would help the both of us decode why you're feeling such strong sadness and emptiness at such a young age. Although if I may offer my opinion, Arnold, you seem to be astute and quite mature for a twelve-year-old. To suggest therapy for your girlfriend to work through her problems instead of taking them on yourself is a wise decision. I'm also proud that you're humble enough to seek professional help for yourself when you need it. Also, going through CBT, meditation **,** and exposure therapy without prior instructions is rather precocious for a boy your age. Many of the things I was going to discuss with Helga, you had already covered with her. If I may ask, where did you get your knowledge on the material?"

He said, "Well, I went to the library to get out some workbooks, to help me through my, uh… addictive tendencies. I was trying to work through my own problems by myself before seeking professional help. I was embarrassed to talk about them. I started helping my girlfriend when she asked. With my own problems unresolved, I didn't want to take on her problems as well. I was hesitant to put any more pressure on my shoulders. My grandma taught me to meditate when I was in the fourth grade, so I also found those skills useful for me in my struggle."

She nodded as she picked up her coffee to drink, "You seem quite studious for your age. You remind me of myself when I was in high school. I enjoyed solving problems for my friends and helping out my family."

He smiled, "I enjoy solving problems as well. I've been helping others since I've been able to walk. It started with all of the boarders at home, and then when I started school, I would give the teachers a hand with daily tasks and watch over my classmates."

Doctor Bliss said curiously, "Would you say that you started helping others at a young age?"

Arnold laughed, "I was probably two or three."

She almost dropped her coffee cup as she managed a reply, "That's young to start taking on the world. Tell me, what brought on the need to help others so early?" She sat her coffee cup down and listened.

"I think it has something to do with my parents' absence."

"What makes you think that?"

He smiled, "Well, my grandma and grandpa told me it was always an honorable thing to help others. At that impressionable age, I took it to meaning I needed to help everyone that needed assistance. If Grandpa needed me to collect rent, I would do it. I didn't help as part of my chores or to earn money. It felt more like a responsibility. I would help Susie carry in groceries when she got home from her second job, I helped Ernie organize his apartment, and I've helped Mr. Hyunh with house repairs. I've fixed pipes and worked with drywall and floor tile. If it was the weekend and I wasn't busy collecting rent for Grandpa, different boarders would pull me into their apartments to fix stuff. I didn't mind, because I knew my Grandpa was busy with other things around the house. Grandpa's always told me that the trouble with society is that there's no work ethic. I'm still hoping to prove him wrong one of these days. I was never paid anything to do all of that, I just did it to help. I knew they were struggling adults and they could use whatever bit of help I could give them. Even at the age of three, I understood early on that adulthood was difficult, and as a child, I needed to do as much as possible to reduce the pressure from their daily responsibilities."

She was staring at him with wide eyes, "Was there a reason you felt the need to help everybody, or did you help others because you _wanted_ to help them?"

He smiled, "I would say that I enjoy it. It's a part of my personality. Without helping others, I wouldn't be Arnold. It probably ties down to my family ties as well. My parents enjoyed helping others. They helped save the Green-eyes from the sleeping sickness twice, and they've always been neighborly towards everyone else. In the past year, I've heard many stories about them from the people they've helped before going back to San Lorenzo. It spiked my curiosity, because they both clearly have a need to help others too. I guess in a way, I want to be like my parents and save the city. Even with my parents _not_ around, it was a way that I could continue their legacy."

She wrote on her clipboard for a moment, "Tell me a little bit about the first memory you've had as a child. You told me that you were two. Would you say at that age, your memories were significant?"

He glanced to the right and bit his bottom lip, feeling pain inside his heart, "Well, my first memory isn't a pleasant one, but I would say it was pretty significant. I would always think about it, even had similar dreams until I was five."

She started writing on her clipboard as he started to explain,

 _..._

 _Arnold had just turned two-years-old. He had just woken up in his crib from an awful nightmare. His parents weren't there to celebrate his birthday,_ _again_ _. He crawled out of the crib and then out of his room. He was worried about where his parents were and why they left him in his dream. Did they leave him in real life as well? They promised to come back after their trip._

 _He slowly stepped down the attic steps, and wandered the hallways, hunting for them. He was crying silently the more he thought about it, and he was terrified to be all alone without them._

 _Using his tiny voice, the best way he knew how, he started crying out for his parents. He was silent at first, but then his voice started_ _to rise,_ _"Mommy... Daddy... where are you... why did you leave me... Mommy... Daddy, please come back…" He started crying more heavily as he got further down the hallway. His dream was correct. They weren't even home for his second birthday. Was anybody at the boarding house besides him? Did the boarders leave him as well? Was he a bad child? He cried out louder, longing for somebody to hear him, "Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!"_

 _Suddenly, a door opened in the middle of the hallway before Arnold got to the stairs. An older man stepped out, who Arnold didn't know by name, but recognized as the man that was taking care of him in place of his parents. He was in his nightclothes as he stepped towards him, "What are you doing out of bed, Shortman?"_

 _Arnold sat down on the ground. He was tired from crawling around, and emotionally exhausted from worrying about where his parents were. He said to the grown_ _-_ _up, helplessly, "I'm... I'm scared, I can't find my Mommy and Daddy." He started crying some more._

 _The older man picked him up, and walked him towards the upstairs attic, "Oh, now don't cry_ _,_ _you poor little fella. Hey, how about I tell you a warm mythical bedtime story tonight? Yeah, that's the ticket! Did I ever tell you about the time your mom and dad worked for a midget circus in Pekin?"_

 _As Phil laid his grandson down in the crib once again, Arnold said to him with tears in his eyes, "No, tell me the story."_

 _Grandpa Phil looked at his grandson and laughed reassuringly, leaning against his crib, "Why, they're natural-born acrobat_ _s,_ _your mom and dad. They can walk a high wire just like_ _strolling_ _down the sidewalk. It comes from years of crossing rope bridges in Mozambique. That's a country in Africa, you know. They needed lots of training to get across those bridges. They were a balancing act_ _,_ _your mom and dad, they knew how to perform on stage for the world."_

 _Arnold asked, "Are... are they at... at the circus now? When are they coming back?"_

 _Phil continued on, trying not to let Arnold's questions affect the story he was making up as he spoke, "They trained at the circus all the time, jumped through rings of fire, rode the lions and elephants, worked backstage with the midgets. Even before the big top burnt down, they took care of_ _b_ _ackstage decorations. They brought in lots of money to take care of you, Shortman, and they cared about you a lot."_

" _Are they... are they coming back? Did they leave me... was I really bad?"_

 _His_ _g_ _randpa paused a moment before saying, "Can I tell you the story about how your parents saved the whole country of Ivanka from fire ants? They could take care of all civilization, including all the animals. They made sure all those fire ants were smashed to pieces. Certain ants are deadly, Shortman," he_ _attempted a smile at his grandson._

" _Fire ants?"_

" _Yes, now shut those tired little eyes, and I'll tell you all about it."_

" _O—Okay." He closed his eyes, focusing on the story instead of his broken heart. The older man's words slowly put him back to sleep._

"… _Fire ants tried to wipe out the whole city of Mexico, but they were no match for your parents. They had the equipment to zap those little fellers to_ _smithereens_ _. They made a living taking care of all those animals, you know. Fireflies and fire ants, they were nothing for your strong parents to handle…"_

 _..._

Twelve-year-old Arnold lied on the couch and wiped his teary eyes with his right hand. The story was one of the nightmares he used to have at nap time in kindergarten. It was still just as painful, even with his parents back from San Lorenzo. It almost made him feel like they were _still_ gone from his life. He choked, "M—My... grandpa made up lies all the time to cover up my parent's disappearance. He used to tell me stories to get me to fall back asleep, after I woke up from a nightmare. I guess it was his way of reassuring me that my parents were still alive, but I knew it was lies by the time I was four." He sniffed, "You can only make up the same story so much before the lies and truths mix together, and it becomes obvious it's just stories." Arnold took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself down as he spoke, "Grandpa's always been good at making up stories. The last couple years, I've had trouble believing him because of all the stories he used to tell me about my parents. He would exaggerate and make up some of the most _bizarre_ events. It's just so unfair, _all_ of it is _unfair!_ I deserved to know the truth from the beginning, not told a make-believe fantasy story. I didn't even find _out_ about San Lorenzo and the reason my parents left me until I was _nine._ It took him six _years_ to tell me the truth and I practically had to _beg_ for it!" He whimpered.

Doctor Bliss was taking notes on her clipboard as she tried to offer the broken-hearted boy an explanation for his grandpa's behavior, "Maybe the stories were the way your grandpa was trying to protect you. Perhaps he thought if you knew your parents' reasons for leaving, you would think they didn't care about you or that they left because of you."

He sighed. He wasn't crying anymore, but he was disappointed in his parents. He said, "I'm smart enough to know they didn't leave because of me, but I also realize they cared more about their mission with the Green-eyes than they did taking care of me. Their priorities were mixed up." he breathed, "They didn't really love me very much, did they?"

She sighed, "Oh, Arnold, that's... that's not a positive way to look at the situation."

Arnold stared blankly at the ceiling above him. "Let's be honest, Doctor Bliss. It doesn't matter how much the Green-eyed people saved their lives, it doesn't matter how long they knew my parents. When a person has a child that comes into their lives, that child should be their _top_ priority, _nothing_ else." He closed his eyes as more tears fell down his face. It was at this time that Doctor Bliss walked over to him with some tissues and sat on the couch beside him, on his left. She held out some tissues for him to take, and he sat up and took them. He looked in her eyes and said, "Even today, my parents are more focused on helping others at their job and receiving counseling. They don't make much time for _me._ Oh sure, they look after me, check on me and make meals for me. They're even a bit precautious, kind of like a helicopter parent is with _their_ children. They're around for me physically, but emotionally, I don't feel like they're, well, _there._ I can go through my whole _day_ with my parents, and it's like, all they can do is listen to me talk. They can't offer any advice. They just don't _understand_ me. Maybe they should have never _had_ me." He wiped his eyes with a tissue, truly believing what he told her.

Doctor Bliss put her right hand on his shoulder, "You said that your parents are receiving counseling. Is that counseling a form of personal therapy they're taking from the traumatic experiences they've experienced in San Lorenzo?"

He sighed, looking up at her. His tears were almost dried from the tissues she gave him. He said, "They say that's what it's for, and my parents have explained to me what they've been through. I try to be understanding, but it's difficult with all the years that have been wasted. The therapy may help them physically and mentally, but it doesn't make up for what they've done to _me._ The truth is, as much as I've wanted them back all these years, I still don't feel like they're back. I have this emptiness in my heart, this feeling that they've never cared for me. I've never been important to them, at least not important enough for them to stay. It wouldn't surprise me if Eduardo called them back for another mission and they left me again. I'm sorry for sounding selfish, but it's how I feel when I'm around them. Their hearts aren't set on me, and in the rare occasions that they are, they see me as a three or a four-year-old. It's like they've _forgotten_ all these years they've lived without me, and I'll never get those years back."

"Arnold, I'm sorry to hear what you've gone through. It sounds like you have abandonment issues related to your parents leaving when you were so young. Even though they're back in your life, you still feel like they're gone."

He nodded, "That _might_ be why I feel so alone all the time. I don't know what to _do_ with these feelings because I _can't_ explain to my parents how I'm feeling without making them feel, well, _guilty,_ and then it doesn't solve anything because any efforts they make at changing themselves doesn't change the past." He sighed, "It's hard to forgive them for that decision they made. I've been able to forgive everything in my life, except for this. My grandma and grandpa will _always_ be better parents than my own will _ever_ be towards me. My grandpa has helped me more with the issues I'm going through _now_ than my parents _ever_ have. My parents thought that treating me to the circus and going to see the clowns would help me feel better," he paused a moment to think of a reason _besides_ the spell, "from going through puberty?"

She nodded, "It sounds like your parents don't know how to talk with you or relate to you after they've been out of your life for so many years. Do your grandparents know how to talk with you about things, and treat you like a twelve-year-old?"

He laughed harshly, to her surprise. He rolled his eyes as he got up to walk towards the window, looking outside. Doctor Bliss watched him as he spoke, "My grandpa thinks I'm about, oh, twenty-two or so. And if it weren't for your assignment, Helga would probably think I was as well."

"What about your class? Do they see you as a sixth grader?"

He turned to her, "I'm the problem solver, and although I _like_ solving problems, I'm taking a guess that none of the sixth graders see me as a person their own age. My best friend Gerald even said I was an _old soul_. Helga and some of the borders even look up to me to solve all their problems. It's a lot of responsibility at my age, which makes me feel good about myself, but it also hinders me. I don't mean that I want to be three or four again and start going to the circus and watching the clowns," he said, "but I would like to be _young_ and have _fun_ and go on _adventures._ I'm not going to be twelve _forever."_ He admitted. He made his way back over to the couch.

She nodded. It was sad to think he had so much responsibility at such a young age, and no way to _do_ anything about it. She asked him, "Would you say that solving problems is a burden for you, or is it something that you enjoy doing?"

He sat down on her right and tried to think of an answer to the question. He said, "It's the strangest thing… I enjoy helping others, I enjoy giving advice and being the leader in sporting events. I _love_ to use my ingenuity and wisdom to solve problems, even if I'm not _paid_ for it or I don't get recognized for my efforts. It's always been important for me to be there for my friends and family, even people that don't appreciate it. I guess you could say it makes me feel better about myself. I wouldn't be the same person if I couldn't solve problems, you know?"

"Yes, being a child psychologist, I would understand how you feel."

He sighed, "I guess in some ways it burdens me, but only when a problem can't be solved, or I can't help out. I put all this weight and responsibility on my shoulders all the time, and I expect everything to turn out right, but it doesn't always work that way. I've learned the last couple of years that people make their _own_ decisions, even as I guide them to make the _right_ ones. If they make the wrong decisions, I find it hard not to take it personally when I was the one to help them out. It's almost like I'm taking their problems on as my _own_ problems and making the decisions _for_ them."

"And why do you think that you do that, Arnold?"

He shrugged, "I'm not sure. I think it's a way I cope with life, but it's something that I enjoy as well. In recent years, I've learned not to get involved in every problem that goes on, and to focus on m _y own_ problems above everyone else's. Hey, if I can't solve my _own_ problems, how can I help anyone _else?"_

She smiled, "I agree with you, and that's a wise way of looking at things. I can personally say as a psychiatrist that I can get more involved in other people's problems than focusing on my own life. Don't ever forget that you're the most important person in your life, ahead of all the others. Take time to _take care of yourself_."

It was with those words that his eyes opened wide. He remembered the _real_ reason he was there, and it wasn't to talk about solving problems or about his broken relationship with his parents. Sure, he was enjoying his talk with Doctor Bliss, but he was supposed to be seeking help with his… _physical tendencies._ He looked at her, "Did you think the reasons I'm struggling with these strongholds have something to do with my parents leaving me when I was younger? Is the reason I give into physical temptations because of my loneliness?"

Doctor Bliss smiled at the smart young man. She nodded in agreement, "I believe it _is,_ Arnold, but I will have to ask you a couple more questions to be sure. Now, let's go onto another topic. You said your first memory was of your parents. What is the first memory that you've had _without_ your parents in it? Sometimes those memories are significant to your psychological development as well."

Arnold paused a moment in thought, "It was probably when I was three. It was my first day of preschool. I remember it well. It started off being a wonderful day."

"Usually the first day of school is a special time for a young child. Did you enjoy preschool that first day?"

He sighed, "Not—not exactly. I suppose my positive nature took control of my brain at that young age, and my expectations were too high. I _did_ meet my best friend on the first day, but other than that, it ended up being awful."

He started to tell her the story.

 _..._

 _Three-year-old Arnold was jumping around excitedly in the living room of the boarding house. He said, "Grandpa, Grandpa, it's my first day of_ _preschool_ _! Did you have everything ready for me?!"_

" _Now, calm down, Shortman. I have to give you your lunch box, and you need to wear your raincoat and take your umbrella before you go_ _anywhere_ _today."_

 _Arnold opened the door slightly and saw that the rain was pouring down outside, "It's raining!_ _Why_ _is it raining so_ _heavy_ _, Grandpa?"_

 _Phil thought a moment, trying to explain it to him, "It hasn't rained in a while here and I guess we're finally getting the water this land needs again." His grandpa reached to the_ _coat hanger by the door to grab the yellow raincoat and handed it to Arnold. After he put it on, he handed him the small green umbrella to hold, "Now, don't open up the umbrella until you get outside. It's bad luck, Shortman."_

" _Why_ _?"_

" _Because it_ _is_ _," Phil said simply, hoping that was the last of the "why" questions for that morning. He believed in superstitious stuff and knew that a person could never be too careful. He bent down to Arnold's level, buttoning up his grandson's raincoat, and putting his left hand on Arnold's right shoulder. Arnold looked at his grandpa nervously as he said, "Now, remember to treat everybody the way you want them to treat yo_ _u,_ _Shortman, and always be helpful, kind_ _,_ _and courteous, do you understand?"_

 _Arnold laughed, "I don't know what curtis means, but I've got all that other stuff. Can we go now, grandpa?!"_

 _Phil opened the door all the way as Arnold excitedly took off towards the_ _Packard_ _, tearing open the passenger's door without a care, "Be careful running around like that, Arnold! You don't need to fall and break your hips at_ _your_ _age."_

 _..._

 _As the gre_ _en Packard stopped in front of Urban Tot's preschool, Arnold's grandpa_ _noticed a girl that was covered in mud that was walking towards the same preschool. His grandpa suggested to him, "You know, Arnold. I think that little girl might be in your class. She looks kind of sad. Why don't you say something to her to cheer her up?"_

 _Arnold looked at the girl for a moment before saying to his grandpa, "Why is she covered in mud? Where's her parents?"_

 _Phil exasperated from all the questions the curious three-year-old was asking, "I don't_ _know_ _that_ _,_ _Arnold, you would have to_ _ask_ _her. Just be nice. She looks like she's had a bad day."_

 _Arnold thought for a moment before saying, "I would have a bad day too if I had nobody to take me to preschool."_

" _Well, Shortman, I'll be here to pick you up when preschool ends. Wait inside the building until I pull up, do you understand? I don't want you crossing streets by yourself."_

" _Okay,_ _G_ _randpa, I will. Thank you!" He got out and shut the door._

 _He opened the umbrella before walking over to the building. Again, he noticed the pink bow_ _ **-**_ _wearing girl that was covered in mud and put his green umbrella above her and him. As she stopped walking and turned to him in shock, he stopped walking as well. The first thing he noticed about her was the bow on her head. That was_ _besides_ _the mud she was covered in from head to toe, almost completely covering the pink outfit she was wearing underneath. He smiled at her, "Hi, nice bow."_

 _The little girl looked at him confused, almost as if she'd never received a compliment in her whole life, "Huh?"_

 _Arnold walked her over to the door with the umbrella above them both, saying, "I like your bow, because it's pink like your pants." He walked in silently, eager to meet more people inside the classroom. He was hoping later maybe that pink bow_ _-_ _wearing girl would become one of his best friends._

 _Almost right away, a dark-skinned wearing boy with a small afro seemed to approach him. Arnold smiled, "Hi, I like your hair."_

 _The boy he was talking to smiled, "I like your hat. Hey, what's your name?"_

 _Arnold smiled, holding out his left hand for him to shake, "My name is Arnold."_

 _The other boy held out his left hand and said, "Name_ _'_ _s Gerald. Want to be best friends?"_

 _Arnold grinned. He had known what a best friend was from an earlier talk with his grandpa. He said to him, "Sure! I would_ _love_ _to be your best friend!"_

 _Gerald said to him, "Good, now give me your hand," as Arnold shook Gerald's hand, Gerald lightly grabbed it and started moving his thumb. Arnold noticed the motion and started moving his thumb to hit Gerald's. Gerald laughed, "Okay, now we're not only best friends, we're blood brother best friends."_

 _Arnold said curiously, "What's that?"_

 _Gerald explained, "My older brother Jamie_ _-o says you can't just be best friends with someone, they have to be your bro. Our thumbs together mean we're blood brothers_ _. We can't really cut off our thumbs and do the movements with our hands that blood brothers do, but that's better than nothing, right? I figure it still counts."_

 _Arnold gasped, "Why would a person want to cut off their thumb just to be brothers?!"_

 _Gerald shrugged, "No clue, but that's what Jamie_ _ **-**_ _o says he used to do. Hey, come on, let's go meet some other kids!"_

 _..._

Doctor Bliss smiled as she listened to him, "That sounds like the start of a wonderful day. What happened next?"

Arnold sighed, wistfully, "Something that would haunt me for many years to come."

 _..._

 _It was later that day after snack and art time that Arnold had gotten to meet just about everyone in his class. They all seemed to like him. It had been a wonderful day. He even got to watch that girl with the pink bow smile when he gave her his crackers. He loved seeing people happy. He felt great inside, so the last thing he expected was what happened next._

 _After he got finished finger-painting, he noticed the pink bow_ _ **-**_ _wearing girl hiding behind some sort of corner. He was curious about her name, because he had not learned it yet, unlike all his other classmates. He walked over to her, his fingers were blue and green from the finger painting he was doing._

 _She seemed to yelp in surprise as he approached her. He got down on his knees in front of her. He said, "Did I scare you? I'm sorry. I just want to know your name. I never got it when we were out in the rain."_

 _Everybody was watching their little interaction with curiosity_ _;_ _Helga's shy and worried eyes, and Arnold's curious and smiling face. Although at the time, Arnold_ _didn't notice both of them had gathered their class' attention. Only Helga noticed their nosy eyes._

 _Harold was laughing silently, Sid and Rhonda were staring with a smug look on their faces, and it seemed that everybody was interested in how the two toddlers would react to each other. After Helga had been yelling at them all day, they wanted to see her embarrass herself._

 _Helga said to him in barely a whisper, "Why are you over here? Why do you need to know my name? Get away from me!"_

 _Arnold said, "I've gotten to know everyone but you. Why are you being mean? You were nice when I saw you outside."_

 _Helga huffed as she heard a bit of laughter across from them. She whispered to Arnold, "Get away from me. Don't you see everybody watching?"_

" _Why would I care if everyone's watching us? I just want to know your name. We could be best friends, like Gerald and me. You seem shy and nice. I could help you to open up to everyone."_

 _Helga recognized that time was running out for her to defend herself around Arnold, and she pushed him down on the ground._

 _Arnold looked up at her, his little eyes very confused. He had never been pushed on the ground by somebody. Wasn't she a_ _nice_ _person? Was his first impression_ _wrong_ _? He said, "Why did you push me. I thought you_ _liked_ _me."_

 _It was with those words, Helga decided to say what she said, "Liked you, HA! Liked you? Oh_ _please_ _, do you really think I liked you?! I_ _never_ _liked you... you... you," she was looking for some way to insult him, "You stupid, nosey, Football Head!"_

 _He had never heard an insult directed at him in his life, and automatically put his hands on his head. He was trying to figure out if his head was really a football or not. He said to her, confused and kind of hurt, "F... Football Head?"_

 _She took some paste from the art stool that Arnold was working on earlier and put it on her hands. He got off the ground to walk over to her as she warned him, "Don't get near me, and stop with the questions or else you're going to regret it!"_

 _He continued to walk over to her, saying, "Regret_ _what_ _, what did I_ _do_ _? I'm so confused. Why are you calling me names?"_

 _She sighed,_ _"Well_ _, I guess Football Head wasn't enough for you. How about Hair-Boy, or better yet," she took the paste in her hands and smeared it all over his blond hair, and after that, she pushed him back on the ground. His hair was_ _covered_ _in paste. He would surely need to cut some of it off. She smirked evilly. She was just thankful the other kids would stop bothering her. She said, "Now, you not only got a Football Head, but you got_ _paste-for-brains_ _. What are you going to_ _do_ _about it, Bucko?"_

 _With those words, the classes attention was off Helga and onto Arnold. All the kids started laughing at the boy and picking on him. Arnold started hearing Harold, Sid, and Stinky, who previously said they were his friends, teasing him... Even_ _Gerald_ _thought it was funny and was trying to suppress a laugh._

 _The kids taunted, "Paste... For... Brains... Paste… For... Brains... Paste... For... Brains... Paste... For... Brains... Paste... For... Brains... Paste... For... Brains..."_

 _Helga yelled out over the crowd, "_ _I'm_ _the leader in this group, got it? If any of you don't listen to me, you'll have paste-for-brains, just like him!" she pointed at Arnold._

 _With those words from the new bully, everyone was silent. Arnold could hardly pay attention to anything. All he had decided to do was be_ _nice_ _, more than anything, he had decided to make friends with a sad little girl to cheer her up. She had done nothing but push him down, cover him in paste, and call him names. He started crying openly, not knowing any other way to react to the verbal abuse he was experiencing._

 _At the time, he didn't notice the look of regret in Helga's eyes, for having to hurt him so deeply._

 _..._

Doctor Bliss was sitting on the couch, patiently waiting on Arnold to continue his story. He was currently facing away from her and lying down. He wept, taking little gasps of breath and wiping his eyes with multiple tissues every few seconds.

She said, "That's an awful thing to experience at such an impressionable age."

He nodded lightly as he closed his eyes, trying to get control of his tears again. After another thirty seconds, he said to her, "Helga has always been mean in the past. For years, I thought she hated me. For years, she's been calling me names and putting me down and insulting me, and it really hurts sometimes. We've talked about it since, but the pain is still there from the past. It's no _wonder_ when she first told me she loved me, I was hesitant believing it. You don't _treat_ people that you love like that."

"Would you say that you still have a lot of conflicting issues with Helga?"

He said, "I would say that I _do_ have a lot of regrets and past pain from the things that she's done to me, even things that _I've_ done to _her._ "

"Is Helga part of the reason that you're seeking counseling?"

He sat up and admitted, "I would say that _most_ of the reason I'm seeking counseling is, so I can be a better person to her. I've been focusing more on _my_ needs than _hers,_ and that's _wrong_."

"How would you say that you've been focusing on your own needs more than hers?"

"I guess you could say that I'm trying to get stuff from her that she can't give me right now," he blushed as he rubbed his left arm, not wanting to explain anymore.

"Emotionally or mentally?"

 _Physically._ He thought to himself, but he said to her, "In a variety of ways. After everything we've been through, I _still_ don't know if I love her, and I feel like I'm using her because she's staying with me."

"Well, that's understandable if you're confused about your feelings considering everything you've told me. Has she been picking on you throughout all of your elementary school years?"

He was thoughtful a moment, "Not _all_ the time. Sometimes she's done things a little… _unexpected?"_

…

 _Five years old and in kindergarten. He thought he was old enough to_ _stop_ _this by now. He had woken up before all his classmates after nap time again. He had another nightmare about his parents leaving him. Somehow, the nightmare had scared him enough to cause him to wet the sheets. It was far from the first time it happened, but this time, he woke up after the accident instead of_ _during_ _it. He couldn't stop himself, and he felt the wetness around him was severe enough for everybody to know what happened. Also, both of the biggest bullies in class were sleeping on each side of him: Harold was on his left, Helga was on his right. It was only a matter of time before one of them found out and teased him endlessly. He felt tears starting to fall down his eyes, and he began to pout about the whole thing. He could go around solving his classmates' problems and kissing their boo-boos all_ _day_ _, and he would_ _still_ _have this problem having accidents during nap time._

 _It was then his eyes glanced over to his right. He started to gasp when he noticed that Helga's eyes were opened, looking directly at him. He gulped, afraid that she had noticed that he wet the sheets. She was one of the biggest bullies in his class. She would surely tease him._

 _And yet, all she did was stare at him for a few moments, curiously. She stood up from the bed and walked over to the art supplies and the fresh paint that was lying out from earlier. As soon as they got done_ _with_ _their art class, they went for their nap. It wasn't art class now, so what was Helga doing over there?_

 _She grabbed a small art smock for herself and put it on. She then used her little hands to pour the blue and green paint into two separate buckets, grabbing them to hold in her hands afterwards._

 _At this point, he raised his left eyebrow and looked at her skeptically. He was wondering what on earth she was doing. If one of the teachers noticed her, she could get in serious trouble. It was only a matter of time before they would look up from their desks and see her. She walked back with the paint buckets, over to the bed sheets that were lying out._

 _She was barely able to carry the buckets of blue and green paint by herself. She tiptoed across all the other students until she was beside Arnold again, to the right of him in her own made bed. She stared at him a few seconds before asking, in a whisper, "Alright, Mr._ _Wet Blanket_ _, what color pants are you wearing today?"_

 _After turning a deep shade of red at her wet blanke_ _t_ _comment, he said, "W... what... what do you mean? What color pants am I wearing? I... I didn't do anything, I mean it! I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you asking me that?" He rubbed his left arm nervously, now thinking that she was only trying to mock him before she embarrassed him._

 _She sighed as she slapped her head with her left hand and_ _dragged_ _it down her face. She tried again, whispering harshly, "What color pants are you wearing, green or blue? Come on, Wet Blanket, I need to know!"_

 _Arnold thought she was trying to find a way to confirm that he had wet the sheets, so she could pick on him for the rest of his life about it. Because of that, he said nothing to her, only blushed as he looked into her eyes. He was embarrassed._

 _She huffed as she picked up the buckets of paint again, "Fine,_ _Wet Blanket_ _, if you're going to be stubborn about all of this, I'm_ _just_ _going to have to pour both of them_ _all_ _over you," and with those words, Helga removed the wet blanket from over top of his body. Arnold blinked in shock, and a moment later, he was covered in blue and green paint, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet._

 _It was with all the noise that all the other kids started to wake up. They looked around at what caused it. Their two teachers gasped in shock at what they saw. One of them commented, "Oh… my gosh,_ _Helga_ _! What did you_ _do_ _?!"_

 _Harold laughed and pointed at Arnold, "Aww... look at widdle Arnold, covered in green and blue paint! Looks like he doesn't know how to use finger-_ _paints, a_ _-ha-ha-ha!"_

 _Sid laughed, "Heh, wow! And she even poured it all_ _over_ _him while he was_ _asleep_ _!_ _Good_ _one, Helga!"_

 _As all the other kids looked at Arnold and continued to laugh at him. Arnold looked at Helga in confusion, still not understanding why she threw so much paint all over him. She whispered to him so that only_ _he_ _could hear, "Next time, I'm doing yellow to match those stupid golden locks on your head."_

 _..._

Doctor Bliss had to scratch her head after hearing _that_ memory from Arnold. She said, "Wasn't she picking on you by throwing the paint on you?"

Arnold admitted, a bit embarrassed, "I didn't find out until last year why she reacted towards me like that. She knew that I... well... I used to have nightmares about my parents during nap-time, and they contributed to me having accidents. She was keeping the class from finding out about it by throwing paint on me. They could see the paint, but not the accident. It was her way of protecting me from more embarrassment than I could handle. They never found out about it. I also found out in fourth grade that she used to have accidents as well. She didn't sleep at nap-time in preschool or kindergarten because of that, and she understood what happened to me from her _own_ experiences with that problem." Arnold chuckled, "It's also why she occasionally calls me a _Wet Blanket_. I've noticed she makes up some _awful_ nicknames for me, but each of them has their own story behind it. They're more terms of endearment than actual mockery once I learn the stories behind them. That was one instance. She can call me that _now,_ and our classmates _still_ have no idea what happened to me back then."

She asked, "What other nicknames has she called you?"

He took a deep breath before saying, "Well, I remember one nickname, which has its origins back to when we were in first grade."

He started the story.

…

 _Six-year-old Arnold was walking down the hallway, minding his own business when he was pulled into a janitor's closet roughly. He started to gasp, until he felt two hands go over his mouth._

 _The voice of his arch-nemesis, Helga Pataki, rang out clear to him from behind. She said, "Shush, you_ _yutz,_ _don't even_ _think_ _about screaming. I pulled you into this janitor's closet for a_ _reason_ _. You may be clueless, but_ _I_ _sure the heck am not."_

 _He turned around to look at her. He had no clue what she was talking about, "Wha_ _t… what_ _are you_ _talking_ _about?"_

 _She held out her left hand, "Look…_ _yutz_ _, I'm going to ask you some simple questions. All_ _you've_ _got to do is answer honestly and you're free_ _to go."_

 _He looked up at her, "What's the angle? Come on, Helga, you've never pulled me into a janitor's closet for no reason."_

 _She growled, "This isn't just a random closet, Bucko, it's_ _my_ _closet, and this won't be the last time I pull you into it. Besides, you're not the_ _first_ _victim I'm pulling in here today."_

 _He narrowed his eyes, "You're taking_ _hostages_ _now? Hopefully, it's not one of my friends."_

 _She stared for a moment before saying, "Oh, you incompetent, nincom—you know what? The sooner I ask, the sooner we can both get on with our day. One, what are your favorite places to hang out?"_

 _He raised an eyebrow, "Did you_ _really_ _pull me into a janitor's closet to ask me_ _that_ _?"_

" _Did you ever_ _think_ _I had another reason behind all my questioning,_ _you clueless buffoon, now_ _talk_ _!"_

 _He thought a moment and answered her, "I guess the park, or the playground, or the aquarium."_

 _She nodded, "Two, what do you like to do for fun?"_

 _He shrugged, "I guess I like helping others, reading books, learning new things."_

 _She paused a moment, "Not a bad answer, and last one, can you meet me at recess time on the bench?"_

 _He stared at her a moment, before nodding in confusion, but curiosity. Why did she want to meet him on the bench at recess time?_

…

 _Arnold walked over to the bench, waiting for Helga to meet him. The only girl he saw sitting there was his current crush, her best friend, Phoebe. She was reading a book before she happened to notice him and looked up._

 _Arnold cleared his throat as he sat on the right of her, "Hi, Phoebe. Um, where's Helga? She wanted to meet me here on the bench."_

 _Phoebe put her library book down to the left of her and rubbed her left arm nervously, "That's odd. She said the same thing to me earlier."_

 _He rubbed his right arm nervously. He had been a little shy talking to his crush before, and now was no exception, "Well, if you want, while we're both waiting for Helga, we could, I don't know, talk a bit?"_

 _Phoebe smiled in happiness. All she had ever wanted was for her crush to notice her, "Th_ _at… that_ _would be delightful." And with that, they started a conversation about their classes and the books they enjoyed reading. They talked together the whole thirty minutes of recess. Helga never showed up at the bench._

 _._

 _Instead, Helga looked off from her hidden place at her best friend and the boy she loved with all her heart. She had a sad smile on her face when she looked down at her locket. She had managed to do what she had been planning to do all year: set her best friend and Arnold up. She held her locket against her chest passionately with a lovesick sigh. At least they were both_ _happy_ _._

…

Once Arnold had calmed down, Doctor Bliss was sitting in her chair again. She said, "Where was Helga that day?"

Arnold laughed from his seat on the couch, "She was setting Phoebe and I up without us knowing, because she knew we both had a crush on each other. She kept calling me a _Sap_ because I was _clueless_ about it, until last year. Our puppy love didn't last long, maybe a few months before we both just wanted to be friends. Being in first grade, we weren't _ready_ for all that _romantic_ stuff. We just wanted somebody to talk to. The most that happened between us was going to camp together that summer. I might have _also_ picked her some dandelions from the school playground." he chuckled at the precious memories.

She smiled, "That was kindhearted of her to set you both up."

He smiled back, "She did it because she loved me. She didn't know if Phoebe and I would work out. She was prepared to take the risks if we did, even though she knew she would've been hurt. It was one of those rare times Helga did something nice when we were younger. She didn't do many nice things for me until we were both in, maybe fourth grade? I think she was too worried about her _own_ reputation to be nice to me in front of others. She didn't want the other kids to think she had a crush on me or _loved_ me."

She nodded as she started writing notes again, "When was the first time she was nice to you in front of others?"

He sighed as he thought about it, "That's a difficult question to answer, but I would say that it was Thanksgiving during fourth grade. She wasn't kindhearted around our classmates, but she _was_ open in public. We happened to run into each other while we were both trying to escape our dysfunctional home lives. I found out that we had a lot more in common that afternoon than I thought, and I was comfortable around her. I would've been content spending the rest of that night together if she wanted to. We walked around and talked about stuff all afternoon."

He smiled at the memory and told her the story.

…

 _Nine-year-old Arnold was currently walking across the park with his arch-nemesis, Helga Pataki. He was dressed in his normal outfit, with a blue jacket on. She was in her regular outfit with a light purple jacket on. He enjoyed her sad story because it reminded him that he wasn't alone in his dysfunctional family situation._

 _As they walked through the park and made their way over to the bridge, she asked him, "So, what's_ _your_ _pity story?"_

 _Arnold sighed, reaching into his left pocket to grab some change as they approached the vending machines. After the whole fiasco at his house, he hadn't eaten anything, and he was hungry. He looked at her and said, "I think Grandma has some form of dementia. Every holiday, she confuses it with another one. Thanksgiving is the Fourth of July, the Fourth of July is Christmas, April Fool's day is Groundhog's Day."_

 _Helga leaned her left arm against a wooden post, "Criminy, what a_ _nightmare_ _. Is she like that every_ _year_ _?"_

 _Arnold nodded as he looked at her, "I just wish, just for_ _once_ _, I could have a normal Thanksgiving. No fireworks or dressing up as the presidents. I've_ _never_ _had a traditional family. I've never had a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The boarders have never gone around the table to say what they're thankful for. I think the only holiday Grandma gets right is Halloween, and it might have something to do with her black cats and trolling the neighborhood with them." He approached the vending machine across from her. He admitted, "Sometimes I feel like the only sane person in_ _the boarding house_ _is me. It's an awful feeling."_

 _She_ _scoffed,_ _"Just be thankful that you_ _didn't_ _have to say what you're thankful for. After that mess at my house, I told Bob I was thankful for absolutely nothing. Serves him right! And then Bob s_ _ays, 'I'm giving you 'til the count of three to tell me what you're thankful for.' Heh, yeah, that'll work, Dad_ _. I'm really thankful now," Helga watched as Arnold rubbed his hands together impatiently, waiting for his chips to drop. Unfortunately, it got caught in the machine before it hit the bottom. Arnold looked down, and Helga couldn't help but comment, "Some Thanksgiving."_

 _They both made their way across the city bridge, hoping that the city view would bring them out of their depressing mood. Helga saw a rock on the ground and picked it up to throw it in the river._

 _He knew he was being negative and tried to think more positively about their family lives. He put his right hand out, commenting to her, "Maybe we should at least_ _try_ _to be optimistic. Maybe we should… look on the bright side."_

 _She wasn't holding her breath on_ _this_ _one. They stopped close to the end of the bridge. "What_ _bright_ _side, Football Head?"_

 _He stopped walking as he held out his hands and commented, "We have this… beautiful view?"_

 _She couldn't help but notice a boat that sunk in the water, along with a bunch of soda cans carelessly discarded. She said, "Keep trying, Arnold."_ _She_ _put her left hand on her hip._

 _He glanced at Helga and held out his right hand, commenting in thought, "_ _There's… no… school_ _today?"_

 _She narrowed her eyes sadly. The situation was hopeless, "Skip on down."_

 _That was when he noticed a boat on the water, with many people on it. He smiled and pointed to his left, "Hey, look, it's the_ Mayflower _,_ _Helga. The symbol of the pilgrims and their first Thanksgiving. It… must be some kind of sign, Helga." He crossed his arms with a smile._

 _She started to smile, walking closer to the water. She dared to say, "Maybe you're right." She sat on a wooden post next to the water._

 _Then, the_ Mayflower _unexpectedly hit one of the many bridges in the city. It was apparently too tall to go inside the tunnel. The two kids heard people screaming, crying out for help on the boat as it tilted in the water._

 _She put her left hand on her hip, "Yeah, it's a sign, alright. It's a sign that this is possibly the worst Thanksgiving, ever."_

 _For the next few minutes, all they could do was watch the_ Mayflower _sink, and people crying out for help._

…

Doctor Bliss looked at Arnold in surprise. She remembered hearing that information on the news, "You both witnessed the sinking of the _Mayflower_ on Thanksgiving, two and a half years ago?"

Arnold nodded somberly, "It wasn't the most _pleasant_ experience, but it won't be something I'll forget anytime soon. Helga and I spent that Thanksgiving together, talking and hanging out. It was the first time I really saw Helga as a kid with her own struggles, just like me. We went over our pain and anger towards our families that day. We really seemed to get along. We've made it our tradition ever since to get together and walk around the block every Thanksgiving. It was better than being stuck with our families."

She asked curiously, "Did she stop picking on you after that?"

He shrugged, "Not really, but her teasing wasn't as bad in fourth grade after that. Some of it was even in good fun. We realized we had more in common than we thought on Thanksgiving, and I guess she had some sympathy for me after she realized what I dealt with at home."

She sat her clipboard down a moment before asking, "Was that the year you managed to get the document from Sheck and save your neighborhood?"

He was surprised, "How did you know about _that?"_

She smiled, "Although I don't live in the areas that were affected, it was all over the news that you and Gerald had gotten the document that declared the city a national landmark."

He sighed, "Did they even mention _Helga_ on the news?"

She only saw Helga for a few sessions in the fourth grade; therefore, she didn't know how Helga could've helped saved their neighborhood. She said, "She was never mentioned on the news. Why would they mention her?"

"I guess she didn't want to be recognized." He explained, "She helped us get the document from Sheck and got me out of the Future Tech Industries building safely. We were both trapped on top of it. It was swarming with guards."

She admitted to him, "That's rather surprising."

He laughed lightly, "It was to _me_ as well. She pretended to be a mysterious figure she made up named Deep Voice, so that we wouldn't know it was _her_ helping us out. I was curious enough to find out who Deep Voice _was and_ confronted her in her trench coat when I saw her on the rooftop of the FTI building."

She sipped her coffee as she asked, "What did she say? Did she tell you why she was in a disguise?"

He sighed, "Well, _yes,_ but not _willingly._ I pressed for information until she kissed me and told me that she did it because she _loved_ me. It was the first time I learned about her feelings for me, and for a while, I dismissed them. I really believed it was all in the _heat of the moment,_ until her actions started to show me that she was serious. I think I was afraid to believe she loved me. I mean, I didn't want her to _hate_ me, but I was only _nine._ I didn't know what to _think_ about _love._ It was a _huge_ shock."

Doctor Bliss asked, "So, you both decided to dismiss it?"

Arnold sighed, "We both agreed that the moment on top of the FTI building never happened. I think we were both happy dismissing it, but when we went back to school and entered fifth grade, she was angrier and more aggressive towards me than she was in fourth grade. I wasn't sure if it was to keep me clueless, but it had the opposite effect. By October of fifth grade, I was beginning to believe that she really _did_ love me, but she was worried the class would tease her about it or I wouldn't return her feelings, so she wanted to keep it a secret."

She asked curiously, "And did you two eventually talk about what happened on the FTI building?"

Arnold looked away, "I pushed it aside for a long time, because I didn't know how to handle her feelings. She didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't want to think about it. I also didn't know if I even ' _liked her, liked her'_ , so I would have been ' _leading her on'_ so to speak, if I would've done anything to show her that I cared. It was better to deal with her aggression than bring up the past."

She asked, "Did you ever show her your feelings afterward?"

He sighed, "I… _ye_ _s_ , I _did_ , but it isn't a good memory. It was on April Fool's Day when we were in the fifth grade."

She smiled at the words. She remembered Helga had avoided talking about the subject for some reason. She would probably find out about it from Arnold. She asked him, "What happened on April Fool's Day last year, Arnold?"

He didn't know why, but the question caused his cheeks to light up. Before he knew it, he was blushing, "I was kind of starting to realize… that I liked her as more than a friend." He rubbed his neck with his left hand nervously.

She smiled. She tried to maintain her professional stance, but she couldn't help being happy for Helga. The pink bow-wearing girl must have been _ecstatic_ at the time, "Did you tell her your feelings that night?"

"No, because she was blind, and I took her to the dance out of _pity._ I was starting to realize I cared for her more than common friendship when, I… uh," he bit his bottom lip and looked away as he thought about it.

She smiled, "What happened at the dance?"

He swallowed before saying, "I was kind of…flirting with her… on the dance floor." He cleared his throat, "Let me explain. I just found out she was faking being blind as an April Fool's joke to get back at me from earlier. Earlier that day, I used a box of 'blinding light' on her that my grandpa gave me to use as a prank. I didn't think it would _work_ when I used it. I was only trying to play an April Fool's joke on her, to get back at her for all the pranks that she played on _me._ She had been playing jokes on me all day and I was fed up, and that April Fool's day was probably the _worst_ brunt I've _ever_ gotten from her of her teasing and tauntings. I just lost control of my typical mannerisms. I wanted her to feel as confused and hurt as _I_ did, but it backfired when she pretended to be blind, even after regaining her sight."

She asked curiously, a small smile on her face, "So, you didn't tell her your feelings that night?"

He said, "I dipped her and swung her around the dance floor, but I didn't tell her I _liked_ her. I found out last year that she's an _incredible_ dancer. Not only was she able to dodge my moves, but she was able to _keep up_ with me. I mean, everyone was watching us dance for the _longest_ time. It was hard to ignore their stares. I told her that I had something I needed to tell her, and that I was waiting for the right moment. I was… well, _flirting_ with her. I didn't really think much about it at the time."

She couldn't help but laugh a bit, "Then, what happened?"

He sighed, "I threw her in the pool, and she pulled me in afterwards."

She laughed with a smile, "What happened after _that?"_

He shrugged, "I apologized and offered to walk her home that night. This time, _I_ was asking _her_ for a way out, and we decided to pretend _that_ didn't happen either."

Doctor Bliss was shocked, "So, you didn't talk about what happened on the roof of the FTI building, _or_ the April Fool's Day dance?"

Arnold nodded with a blush, "I wasn't ready to accept her feelings, and I don't think she was ready to accept the feelings that I _showed_ her that night. We dismissed it as a ' _heat of the moment'_ thing as well. It was what we were _comfortable_ with."

She had to ask, "Why would you feel she wasn't ready to accept your feelings even after she told you she loved you?"

He sighed, "She hid her feelings for me more in fifth grade than at any other point in our lives. Looking back now, I think she was being meaner to hide her feelings for me more cautiously. I guessed at the time that she had fallen ' _out of love'_ with me or something. Then again, I was only starting to develop feelings of ' _like-like'_ around April of last year, and I didn't _love_ her. I knew I wouldn't be able to tell her what she told me, that my feelings were love, and so I decided to keep them to myself."

She nodded, "That makes sense. It's normal to feel nervous and anxious around the person that you… did you say that you ' _like-liked'_ her?"

He nodded with a smile on his face, and explained to her what it meant, "That means I liked her as more than a friend, but I didn't _love_ her or want to start _dating_ her. I just knew I cared a bit more about her than I did previously."

She thought to herself, _A_ _h, he's talking about a_ _crush_ _that he had on Helga. Okay,_ _that_ _makes more sense_ _._ Doctor Bliss said aloud to him, "You mentioned that you and Helga agreed to both of your feelings as ' _the heat of the moment'_. Was there a time that you both acknowledged together that your feelings existed beyond that _?"_

He smiled at the memory, "Yes. It was about two months later. It was on Trash-can Day."

She looked at him oddly, "Trash-can Day?"

Arnold explained, "It used to be an annual tradition for all the fifth graders to dump the fourth graders in the trash. When I was in the fourth grade, Gerald and I were both canned by Wolfgang and Edmund. Once I saw the third graders, I considered throwing away the occasion somehow. I didn't want to think about those three third graders being dunked in the trash for no reason. After all, what did the third graders do to _us?"_

Doctor Bliss smiled. She could tell how righteous and brave Arnold was already from talking with him for over an hour. She asked, "Were you able to end Trash-can Day?"

He nodded, "I _was,_ but it was because of two people that the tradition isn't being continued this year with the _current_ fifth grade class. The two people who helped me were _Torvald_ and _Helga_."

She asked, "Who is Torvald?"

He explained, "He was in our fourth-grade class, and he was held back three years. He couldn't grasp simple math or English concepts, or so he thought that he couldn't. My old fourth grade teacher that retired, Mrs. Slovak, _she_ was the one that paired me up with Torvald, to tutor him. I was against the idea because at the time, he was a bigger bully than Helga and Harold put together, but I chose to put those fears aside to help him earn a passing grade to show to his mother." He laughed, "It's funny. The old saying is not to judge a book by its cover, right? Torvald has proven that to be true, repeatedly. Once he was able to earn better grades in class, he stopped bullying others, and once he stopped picking on others, he was promoted to different grades. First to the fifth grade, and then the sixth grade, and then the _seventh_ grade. Now, he's in _eighth_ grade. He's really come far, and we've remained friends since. He's helped me on multiple occasions."

She smiled, impressed with the young preteen, "So, you encouraged _him_ as well as _Helga_ to stop being aggressive?"

He shook his head, "I didn't change Helga, _she_ changed _herself,_ and I'm not taking credit for what Torvald's done for _himself._ When he got himself into seventh grade, we exchanged numbers, and he told me to ask him if I ever needed his help with anything. After I tutored him, I guess it was his way of repaying me."

"And he helped you to stop Trash-can Day?"

He nodded, "He's participated in the tradition for three years, almost the entire four years it was running. He was more than ready to put an end to it. I decided we should target the one that was the leader of Trash-can Day _last_ year instead of the third graders, the one that was responsible for provoking the _most_ anger inside of us in the fourth grade. That was Wolfgang."

She said, "How did Helga help you out, and when did you both stop pretending your feelings weren't there?"

He smiled at the memory, telling the story.

…

 _It was at the docks of Hillwood that Arnold had caught up with Helga. She_ _seemed_ _to be thinking to herself about the day_ _'_ _s events, and he was wondering if she was thinking about him. He was certainly thinking about her after she stood up for him, in front of their class._

 _As he continued to think about Helga, he directed his attention to the hazy summer sky. He wasn't paying attention to where he was walking and slammed into her. Both of their bodies crashed into each other with a thud._

 _After some criticizing from the blond-haired girl and some apologies from him, he told her what was on his mind…_

 _He said, "You stood up for me when no one else did. Not Torvald, not Gerald, you. And that means a lot."_

 _Helga narrowed her eyes, her heart fluttering as she took in his praise, but also unsure of what to make of it or how to respond. She could tell this wasn't the whole story. "What are you trying to say, Arnold? I got places to be, you know."_

 _The blond boy had to resist showing his exasperation. "What I'm trying to say, or ask rather, is that… today you were loyal and brave and_ _…"_ _He stopped and then gave a conflicted look, as if he wasn't sure he should say anything further. This didn't help_ _ease Helga's anxiety._

" _Just spit it out, will ya!" she practically shrieked._

" _Every time something like this happens, the next day you pretend_ _it didn't happen. Why? You do all these incredible things for people and then you're back to scowling and shoving people to the side. I just don't get it."_

 _Internally, Helga was screaming._

Do you REALLY not get it by now, you beautiful Football Headed hunk?!

 _However, she still had to keep appearances, no matter how fragile they were at this point. "I've told you this before, Arnold. Being mean and nasty is who I am. It's what makes me special. It's how people know me and always will."_

 _But for once, Arnold didn't leave the issue alone. He raised an eyebrow, indicating he did not completely buy the explanation. "Is that really how you want to be known and remembered? As a mean person who bullied people and carried a bad attitude?"_

 _Helga tried to respond convincingly. A standard_ _"you got it, bucko!" or "what's it to you, geek bait?" would have sufficed. However, this time around, she couldn't find a proper explanation. Whether her brain was mal-functioning, or the excuses had finally run out, she was at a loss. "It's… well, just…"_

" _Personally, I don't think you like acting this way at all. I've seen enough times where you've gone out of your way to be helpful, to be nice, and do what's right. I used to think you bugged me_ _ **,**_ _Helga. But honestly, now you just confuse me."_

 _He was getting too close. The blonde girl's panic button was pressed and despite part of her desperately wanting to repeat what happened on the FTI building, instinct took over._

" _SO WHAT?!" she yelled at him. "Since when is anything I do of any use or concern to you, Football Head?! Am I some pariah to be studied and observed like some zoo animal?! Just get out of my face before ole' Betsy makes a return appearance!"_

 _That didn't deter the oblong_ _-_ _headed boy either. At this point nothing would. His response was so calm, it almost deflated Helga's anger instantaneously. "Yell at me all you want, Helga. You're not this mean, unkind, or selfish. Today proved that. Even if I don't quite understand why yet." He paused and then began beaming at her. "At least allow me to say thank you."_

 _The blond boy moved towards Helga, causing her to recoil. "What're you…"_

 _But he didn't say anything. Instead, Arnold placed a hand on her shoulder; very gently and Helga practically melted at his touch. He had only initiated physical contact with her a few times and those were all v_ _ery_ _"in the moment"_ _._ _This was deliberate as one could get._

 _She was frozen in place as he kept smiling at her in that coquettish manner and it wasn't until a few more seconds had passed that Helga managed to come back to earth._

" _What the heck are you doing, you creep?!" and she swatted his hand away (all the while noticing her own palms were incredibly sweaty). "Get your filthy mitts off-a me!"_

" _I'm sorry," Arnold said innocently. "I was trying to show my appreciation is all."_

" _Y-Yeah, well….do it in a way that doesn't involve being a complete weirdo," Helga replied, unable to keep the shaking in her voice, nor the blush out of her cheeks._

" _I'll keep that in mind," the blond preteen said, his smile now taking a cooler tone. "But in all seriousness, Helga, what you did today was amazing. I couldn't have done it without you."_

…

He explained to Doctor Bliss, "I acknowledged my feelings. I showed her it wasn't just _in the moment_ by putting my hand on her shoulder, and she showed me it wasn't the _heat of the moment_ by sticking up for me, and refusing to admit that she was this coldhearted, self-centered person. I knew something _deep_ had changed in our relationship then."

Doctor Bliss nodded as she wrote something down on her clipboard, "And then, what happened, Arnold?"

Arnold said, "A few weeks later, I entered the video contest to go to San Lorenzo. I didn't win, but Helga won _for_ me. I knew it was out of love, so that I could get the chance at seeing my parents again. I vented to her earlier that day about it. I was surprised she was able to put the video together so _fast,_ but she had all the equipment and the class helped her out. She risked her secret just to give me a shot at happiness, and that meant _a lot."_

She said, "Did you get into a relationship in San Lorenzo, after you acknowledged your feelings earlier that month?"

He shook his head, "It was complicated in San Lorenzo. The _last_ thing Helga and I were thinking about was our _feelings._ La Sombra was an evil river pirate that held us captive. He wasn't planning on letting us go until he got El Corazón, which was actually what was needed to heal my parents from the sleeping sickness they were under."

She stated, "So, you found your parents."

He nodded, closing his eyes at the painful memory, "They were asleep. They had been for almost ten _years._ I didn't think there was _any_ hope. Sometimes, I try to be grateful just to have them around today. They have to go through _a lot_ of counseling and therapy just to live their lives now."

She asked, "So, you got the El Corazón?"

He shook his head, "It fell over the cliff. Helga, Gerald, and I almost lost our _lives_ trying to keep it from La Sombra. I was… so scared." He was shaking just _thinking_ about it, and his right hand automatically went towards his heart, "I mean, I was afraid of dying, sure, but to see that Helga was going to fall to her death from the cliff we were hanging from _too,_ and that I would have _no way_ to tell her that I cared, just… _killed_ me inside." He took a deep breath, shivering in fear at the memory.

She asked him, "Was Gerald hanging over the cliff too?"

He nodded, "I didn't want him to fall either, but he already _knew_ I thought of him as a brother. Helga had no _clue_ about my feelings, because I refused to say them out loud. I'm… not good with words, and I like to be sure of something before saying it out loud, but at that point, a hand on the shoulder wasn't enough to show how much I cared. I was afraid my opportunities had run out. Helga re-admitted her feelings to me on the crow's nest earlier that day, which was on the boat we were sailing on before we were captured. I was thinking and worrying about my parents then, so even though she was honest with me, I couldn't pay attention and be honest with her. I wasn't ready to hear it." Doctor Bliss looked at his sorrowful eyes as he added, "But after almost dying, I _was."_

She said, "Who rescued you three from the cliff?"

"Eduardo rescued us. He was my parents' old friend."

She pretended not to know what Helga had told her in confidentiality, and asked, "How did your parents wake up from the sleeping sickness?"

Arnold said, "Helga gave me her locket to use as a replacement. I was surprised that it worked, then again, Helga has _always_ been the Tin Woodman, but with a golden heart. After all, she _still_ loved me, even after I denied her feelings, _more_ than once," He smiled, thinking about it. "She even got close to the _real_ El Corazón before it went over the cliff, and it didn't _do_ anything to her. I traced that happening back to her heart being pure. Even after what she's been through with her family, she has a heart of gold. The El Corazon is a sacred relic, and anyone that looks directly at it usually dies. At least, that's what it said in my father's journal. Nothing happened to Helga after she looked at it."

"When did you and Helga start a relationship?"

He thought a moment, "It was at the beginning of sixth grade on my birthday. I asked her after we kissed."

Doctor Bliss smiled, "Wow, _that_ must have surprised her."

He chuckled, "She _fainted_ when I kissed her _._ Gerald and I carried her back to the boarding house to pour some water on her. Gerald was kind enough to stick around until Helga seemed to be doing all right."

"When did Helga move in with you?"

He sighed. It wasn't a good memory for him, especially being at the beginning of a spell he didn't know he was under. Finding out about the abuse going on at Olga's house was upsetting as well, but he told her when she moved in with him, "Helga moved in a few weeks before Thanksgiving last year. I thought we broke up because she made a scene with me in the cafeteria a few weeks prior to moving in. I didn't know she was just trying to keep me out of her problems, because I didn't understand how _serious_ her problems were. It was another way she was trying to protect me. She _knew_ I would try to help her." Arnold looked up at Doctor Bliss, "Her father sold the business to somebody and moved out of state, her mother was in the hospital or rehab, and I found out later that her older sister was in an abusive relationship. Helga stayed with Phoebe for a while, but Phoebe's parents couldn't afford for her to continue staying there. She moved in with Olga," he added carefully, "but I _think_ she ran away from there. By the time I found her and talked with her, she was living at the Safehouse. I got her to leave the Safehouse and move in with me."

"What is the Safehouse?"

He explained, "It's a place that our class used to go to get away from lives' troubles. It's _also_ the place my old friend Park made to protect the fourth graders when we went through Trash-can Day. We never _did_ pass the Safehouse down to the next grade, because nobody had to struggle through Trash-can Day after our class did. Thankfully, we were able to fix it up after Wolfgang tried to tear it up when we were in fourth grade."

"So, you've been living with Helga for eight months?"

"Is that what I said earlier?" he laughed, "It feels like it's been _longer,_ but maybe that's because of my _own_ struggles I've been going through every day, living with her."

She wrote a few more notes before asking, "What kind of struggles have you been going through?"

He took a deep breath before saying, "I don't know where to start… exactly. Did you want me to tell you about them?" he asked, cautiously.

She looked up at him, "If you would like to better understand your feelings for Helga, I recommend that you continue telling me these stories. I will also remind you _again_ that our conversations are completely confidential. I'm not allowed to tell anybody what we talk about, including your family _or_ your girlfriend."

His eyes widened, and he asked surprised, " _Really?_ I mean, anything I say is going to be kept _private?"_

"Confidential _,_ " she confirmed.

"Would you mind," he paused a moment before saying, carefully, "not taking notes during this part of our session?" Doctor Bliss was a bit surprised as he explained himself, "Look, I trust you, but I'm _still_ a bit cautious of your notes falling into the wrong hands, even if by _accident_. It's… pretty deep stuff that's been going on between Helga and I, and not your typical sibling rivalries stuff either, like Gerald goes through with his brother and sister. I might even face legal _consequences_ if your notes got into the wrong hands." He looked into her eyes, watching her reaction.

She was surprised, and she didn't know what to say after hearing _that._ She gently put her clipboard down on the table, and her hands in her lap, paying perfect attention to the boy in front of her. She said to him, "If it will make you more comfortable going through what's on your mind, I _will_ listen to you without taking notes. However, I'm sure whatever you're going to tell me isn't as bad as you're making it sound."

"I don't know about _that,_ but I _do_ know there's _a lot_ of stuff that I need to get off my chest. I haven't been able to talk with _anyone_ about this. My parents _can't_ know, and my grandparents don't understand." He sighed, thinking about it.

She nodded, "Go on then, Arnold."

He took a deep breath, "When she moved in the boarding house back in November, the first two months or so, all we did was _fight_. We yelled and screamed at each other every other day. She even hit me out of anger once. It took us awhile to learn to live together, more so because we're staying in the same room."

Doctor Bliss was surprised after hearing that _last_ part, "The same room? Didn't your parents or grandparents give her a _different_ room?"

Arnold sighed, "There was and still _is_ no available rooms in the boarding house. Although Susie moved out, Oskar will still occupy the residence until Grandpa kicks him out later this month. Grandpa, by law, must give him a three months' notice before an eviction takes place, and Grandpa has been putting up with Oskar out of kindness for _years._ I suppose after Oskar is kicked out, she can take his room."

She nodded, "I understand there are eviction laws that need to be followed. That must be difficult for you, though, sharing all of your things and living with your girlfriend inside your room."

 _Oh, it gets worse._ He then said aloud, "It's been a nightmare, especially when Grandma's pets started wandering into my room late at night. Grandma keeps them downstairs at my request, but sometimes, they don't listen to her. She has thirteen black cats, a bat, a snake, three dogs—"

"—Excuse me, what did you say? I thought I heard you say that your Grandma has a _snake_ as a _pet."_

He nodded with narrowed eyes and a sigh, "Yes, I did."

Her eyes widened, "Where did she _get_ all of those animals?"

He held out his left hand, "Some of them, like the black cats, she's been collecting over the years, but the snake and bat came home from San Lorenzo with Abner, my pet pig. My parents got Abner as a wedding gift, but the other animals weren't gifts? I think Grandma just saw them and grew attached to them."

She said, "That must scare the both of you to have them wandering in your room."

"I'm used to the odd animals and the eccentric behavior from my grandma, but Helga _isn't._ I shut the door, but the animals _still_ come in sometimes. It was terrifying for Helga to sleep alone, _or_ downstairs because of all the animals, so I told her to sleep with me."

She looked at him oddly, "She's—she's sleeping _with_ you, in your _bed?"_

He groaned as he explained the embarrassing situation aloud, "She isn't sleeping in my bed with me _now,_ but she _was._ She has my bed now and _I_ have the couch. I changed the sleeping arrangements."

She smiled, "That's a mature thing for a boy your age to do, to realize that would be invasive of your personal space."

He groaned again, realizing that she didn't understand, "That wasn't the reason the arrangements had to change. We started, uh, sleeping beside each other in December. I didn't move to the couch until April."

"Did you and Helga fight a lot while sleeping together?"

He blushed, "Well, we fought over the covers and the alarm every morning, and I guess about everything else, sure."

Doctor Bliss stared at Arnold a moment as he rubbed his left arm. She asked, "Did your parents find out that you were sharing a bed?"

Arnold sighed, "At the request of Helga, they don't even know we're in a relationship. I told my parents and grandparents that Helga and I broke up back in October. I didn't realize she was just blowing off steam and that we were still _together_. Helga was worried that if I told my parents we were in a relationship, they wouldn't let her stay at the boarding house and she would go into Foster Care. She's _terrified_ of Foster Care, and I hesitantly agreed, only later understanding why Helga would feel a need to keep such a thing a secret from my family."

She said, "'I'm… a little shocked that you wouldn't tell your family that you're in a relationship with Helga. Isn't that—?"

"—Irresponsible? Stupid? Ignorant?" He looked down, "Oh, yes, I agree that it was an _awful_ idea, but I _paid_ for it. I've been struggling _so_ much with my own difficulties lately that if I told my parents at _this_ point, I _know_ she would be thrown out." He sighed, "I'm kind of stuck in this situation."

She said, "Why would she be thrown out? From you both lying about the situation to your parents?"

He blushed, "Not—not exactly it's, well, a _long_ story."

She mentioned to him, "Well, we have thirty minutes left of your second session, so if you wish, you may volunteer that information."

Arnold paused a moment, hesitating. He was trying to figure out where to begin, "I… found out that Helga put a spell on me."

She was curious, "A spell? How did she do _that?"_

He shrugged, holding out his hands, still trying to grasp the concept, "She… got some stuff from Madam Blanch, poured it in a bowl and mixed it up, and said something aloud. She can't remember _what_ she requested of me before so that the spell can be broken. All I know is that the spell _can't_ be broken unless I do what she wants, and that she used… a lot of fire of love powders and incense sticks to perform the spell," he explained as he glanced at her. He was hoping she would catch on to what _type_ of spell without him saying any more about it.

With those words, she recalled a conversation she had with Helga two years prior:  
 _"So, it's okay to be obsessed about him? You know, the shrines and stuff, the three A.M. visuals, the_ _tantric spells_ _."  
"As long as you're not hurting anyone, I think it's an okay way to express yourself."_

She had a feeling that it was a _tantric_ spell Helga put on him, and she felt partially responsible because she never told Helga _not_ to do it. She asked him gently, now worried about him, "Are you doing okay?"

He rubbed his left arm and looked to the left side, "The spell is why I decided to see you. I know there's no way to break the spell, except, well," he couldn't even _look_ at her, just _thinking_ about what he would need to do with Helga to break the spell was difficult to say to another woman. It was bad _enough_ he was getting _excited_ thinking about such a thing. Why were his hormones so messed up? His brain _knew_ it was wrong, so why did his body act against his brain? It was irritating. He took a deep breath, before explaining to her, "I would have to _complete_ the spell to break it, and I… I wish it was just the spell affecting me, but I don't think it is anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Arnold decided to explain, "Well, I'm at that age where I'm starting to go through stuff, _growing up_ stuff. She put the spell on me when I started puberty. My mind has been a _mess_ lately, and even though I have a spell attached to me unwillingly, I'm _still_ struggling with controlling my thoughts and emotions. I even get close to giving in with my behavior sometimes. It was bad timing attached to a messy living situation. I could probably deal with the spell better if she wasn't staying in my room with me."

"What are you giving into?"

He played with his hands in his lap nervously, looking down at his feet, "We kind of… started doing some stuff together, physically. I kind of pushed our boundaries, a lot. I didn't know I had a spell on me when I started. I was just physically excited and trying to find a way to take care of the… situation. Nothing seemed like it was enough. It was _never_ my intention to go _that_ far with her, it just sort of happened. Sure, the spell is to blame, but I think I'm _partially_ responsible. It's almost like an _addiction._ I've even gotten caught up in pornography while avoiding my physical relationship with her. I truly don't know _what_ to do anymore, since there's no end to the spell in sight, and these urges won't go away. I've been trying to resist, but I keep making mistakes. Helga isn't helping because she's wondering _why_ I can't just be physical without going _further._ She doesn't understand what I'm going through and how I'm feeling. I don't want to drag her down _with_ me, uh, figuratively?" He blushed, trying not to think about what he just said.

She thought about the situation a moment, "I can see why you were hesitant admitting that information to me now. That's a difficult situation your stuck in, and that's a unique situation for somebody at your age to be going through. You can't get Helga to move rooms, but you can't throw her out and leave her homeless. Does she have another person she can stay with?"

He shook his head, looking back up at her, "Maybe Susie and Olga, but I don't think they have room for another tenant. They only have a small apartment. I understand that her mom is doing better, but Olga and Susie swore me to secrecy about her mother's location. That, and I don't know _where_ her mom is staying right now."

She asked, "Why would they keep her mother's location and progress a secret from the both of you?"

He said, "I think it's because she's sober now and she's trying to straighten out her life before getting back in touch with Helga. Either way, I'm stuck in this situation."

Doctor Bliss thought a moment, trying to figure out a solution for the preteen boy. The more she thought about it, the more she only had _one_ question to ask him. She said, "Do you love her?"

He looked up, and even raised his left eyebrow in confusion, "Huh?" Out of all the questions, that was the _last_ one he expected.

She put her hands on her lap, "You're a young preteen, but you're also a mature individual. I trust that you would make the right decisions concerning your physical relationship with Helga, as you have clearly worked to do so already. You have admitted to me that you've known Helga since the age of three. You've cared about her strongly for over a year, and you've been dating her for eight months in a committed relationship. I understand that you care for her, may be even have a _crush_ on her, but do you _love_ her?"

Arnold thought about the question a moment, and then said, "Love is... such a _strong_ word to use. I don't even know what love really _is_. Sure, my grandparents try their best, and I'm sure they love me in their _own_ eccentric way, but my parents don't love me. At least, I don't _think_ they do. If they loved me, wouldn't they have stayed and taken care of me before going back to San Lorenzo? I guess Helga _does_ love me, but she's just learning how to show it for the first time in her life. For the longest time, it was hard to differentiate between her feelings of love and hate."

She looked at him as she listened to what he was saying.

He held out his hands, "And, what if I told her that I loved her without knowing for _sure?_ I would feel awful to lie about such a thing when it took her so much time to admit her _own_ feelings to me. Doctor Bliss, this isn't a typical sixth grade crush that she has on me. She _loves_ me. _Loves_. I can't just tell her that I ' _like her like her'_ or I care about her deeply, or that I have a crush on her. I've tried before, and it's not enough. It's never going to _be_ enough, especially after everything we've worked through together this year. I want her to stay around despite my problems, and I want to live the rest of my life with her even despite her past bullying, but I don't want to play with her feelings like I did on April Fool's Day last year. This relationship means a lot more to me than _that._ I want us to pick out prom rings together in high school, go to the homecoming dance, choose colleges. This isn't a six month to a year relationship for me. I don't want to have sex and then end it and move on to someone else. One thing I've made up my mind about in the last six months is that I want to live my life with _her._ _She's_ the one I want to struggle with, the one I want to yell and scream at daily," Arnold chuckled, just listening to his words and how it probably sounded to Doctor Bliss. He couldn't believe he was fine arguing with Helga all the time. Was _this_ what he had been _reduced_ to? He looked at Doctor Bliss, "I could just _say_ the words now and make her happy, but it wouldn't _mean_ anything. I want my answer to be sincerely from my _heart._ Isn't that what's _most_ important when you love somebody? I know it's more important than having sex and using her body. She's _so_ much more than a pretty face. I don't want just her body, I want _all_ of her."

She stared in awe, _floored_ by the preteen's maturity. She said to him, "I wish I could tell you what love is, but that's something you will have to define by yourself. Love means different things for different people. Some people only define the physical part of a relationship as love. It sounds like you don't."

He nodded, "The physical side of a relationship is merely that, _physical._ It has no meaning or purpose. I can look at provocative images and videos all day, but it's not love, it's _lust._ _That's_ why I don't want to do it anymore. I could just _lust_ after somebody without any feelings if I _wanted_ to, but it's not right. It's also not _me."_

She tried to explain something to her mature patient, hoping he would understand her even at his young age, "A physical relationship means more to you than that. Pictures and videos can only do so much. They stimulate your mind, but not your heart. If you're in love with somebody and you have sex with them, you'll be making _love_ with them. Making love and having sex are two entirely different things."

He looked at her, "You can only _make_ love if you're _in_ love, otherwise it's just _meaningless."_ He cleared his throat, asking, "Am I in love with Helga?"

She sighed as she needed to allow him to figure it out for himself, "As your psychologist, I can't answer that question for you. You can only answer that question for _yourself._ You have to figure out what love is for _you_ and figure out if you feel that way towards _her."_

He sighed at her words, and it was then that he noticed the time as well. It was six, and it was already time for him to leave. His two hours was up. He said to her, "I was afraid that you were going to say that. Well, thanks for allowing me the time to talk with you about my problems today. I guess I should be going." He stood up to leave.

She couldn't help but get up from her chair as well. She said, walking over to him, "Arnold, I realize your session is over, but if you would, I would like to discuss a couple more things with you before you leave."

He turned back around and looked at her, nervously. He was worried he was going to get in trouble for admitting what Helga and he had been _doing_ , "What is it? I'm not going to get in trouble with the law for this, am I?"

She shook her head and then laughed lightly, "No, Arnold. In fact, if you're not planning on seeking my services again, I would like to give you my contact information. You wouldn't be in my clinic at this point, so I wouldn't have to relate to you on _only_ a professional basis."

He turned around and stepped over to her. He was confused and surprised, "You're giving me your contact information?"

Doctor Bliss walked over to him and used her right hand to put a piece of notebook paper that was folded into his left hand. She said, "Here's my home address and cell phone number. I realize that you already have the office phone number."

He asked her, "You wanted to keep in touch with me?"

She smiled as she explained, "You have a big heart, just like I did at your age. You help others and long to fix the psychological needs of people. I see something in you that I saw in _myself_ when I was your age, and I would like to help you develop it. I could see you becoming a great therapist or psychologist one day. You will help out many people in your lifetime, and I would be honored to mentor you in your professional progress, if you would allow me to."

Arnold's eyes widened in surprise and he smiled, " _Really?_ A psychologist? _Me?_ Doctor Bliss, _I'm_ honored!"

"You don't have to call me Doctor Bliss anymore if you're not seeking my services. My name is Laura Bliss, and you can call me that, or whatever you're comfortable with."

"Thanks, Doctor Bliss, I... I mean Laura Bliss."

She nodded, "One more thing. You say that you're unsure whether you love Helga or not, but my guesses are that you _do._ Forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries for saying, but there are no other boys your age that would do for their girlfriends what you've done for _yours._ Boys are hormone-driven at your age. I can see that your hormones are affecting you, even at the age of twelve. For you to hold back from continuing a physical relationship with Helga not only shows maturity, but unconditional love. There're also many people that would have thrown their girlfriends out if they were arguing all the time, but you persevered and decided to let her stay in your room. You worked out your issues with Helga, even when you didn't think it was possible. I have yet to meet a patient who has been able to do the things you've done for yourself, and for others. Sexual addiction is not much different than drugs or alcohol addiction. They're a different struggle based on the same psychological needs. You have many abandonment issues from losing your parents when you were a baby, and you could help people with issues such as the ones you're dealing with now. You have great potential to be a wonderful influence, not just for future generations, but for your _own_."

He sighed, "I can try to do that, but first, I have to figure out how to help _myself."_

She said, "The important thing is to keep working on what you've been doing, because it's _exactly_ what I would have you do. Also, try to discuss your concerns with your parents. I think they would be more understanding then upset about your feelings for them. Find a way to tell your parents about your struggles, and that you're in a relationship with Helga as well. Be honest with them and take the risks that you need to take. If you have any questions for me or you just want to get together and talk, give my home phone a call. If I'm not around, just leave me a message on my answering machine and I'll call you back," She nodded at him, "It's been an honor to speak with you today, and I hope that we can talk again soon."

He nodded as he looked up at her, "Likewise." With those words, he left her office and he was on his way back to the boarding house.

He may have been unsure about _some_ things in his life concerning his future, but he was sure of one thing; he was going to become a psychologist one day and help the world through their behavioral problems.

Now, if he could keep resisting this tantric spell for a little longer.


	20. Chapter 20: Arnold's Graduation Speech

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become M Rated. This chapter is rated **M** but _only_ because of one word, which you will know after you read the chapter.

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 **The J.A.M.:** I've got _enough_ issues to solve in this _without_ bring your deconstruction into it, lol. Thanks for the review.  
 **CoolGirl-Pataki:** I appreciate your reviews, and I am _so_ glad that you enjoyed the last chapter. I sent you a PM. Thanks for the review.  
 **Echopapa:** Wow! Thanks for the comments, and the review. I'm speechless, really…  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** I've always been able to understand Arnold better than Helga. And yes, Arnold _should_ understand the need they have to help others considering he has such a big need to help others himself. Thanks for the review.  
 **ForeverRogue:** Yeah, Arnold would say some things to Gerald if he wasn't so embarrassed and he was paying attention. The whole point in that previous chapter was to show Arnold's imperfections and struggles. I'm glad you caught that. It was difficult to write at times, and Arnold will eventually get the love he longs for from his parents, but I won't spoil anything. Arnold is _very_ close to saying those three words, and I _will_ answer every one of your questions in the next two chapters (three, including this one). Thanks for the review.  
 **The Wasp1995:** I wanted the readers to get into Arnold's head, really feel the emotions and experiences that he's been through. Glad to hear that I succeeded, and I'm glad you liked the way I incorporated your story into it. My story is either one that will grow on you, or one that you hate. There's no in-between with this material. The ending will be worth it, though, and yes, I'll answer all those questions as I'm concluding everything. (Some are answered in this chapter) I'm planning on Arnold's confession being epic, although I have yet to write it, I know how it's going to go—lol. Thanks for the review.  
 **Em Pataki:** I think you'll like the next chapter, but I don't want to spoil what happens, so I'll leave it at that. If you think his actions regarding resisting the spell is admirable, I'm dying to know what you think of this chapter. Arnold basically gets more mature as this story goes on. This chapter shows his maturity very well. I want his confession to be believable, not just a "Oh, it's puppy love." If he's going to say, "I love you" I want him to mean, "I love you." It's got to be unconditional, pure, and believable, nothing less. And Helga's starting to realize that spell was the wrong move to make, she admits it in this chapter. Thanks for the review.

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 **Chapter 20: Arnold's Graduation Speech**

 **Tuesday, June 7th, PS: 118…**

It was the last week of sixth grade for the gang. Mr. Frank was handing back essays as the class got settled for the start of the day. The bell rang as Mr. Frank finished passing back all the essays but one. He held it in his right hand as he walked back to the front of the classroom. He looked up and announced to his class, "Attention, students, listen up. All the essays were read last night, and Arnold Shortman has been the one chosen to present his paper out loud at the sixth-grade graduation ceremony this Friday. Congratulations, Arnold. And that is all."

Nadine and Rhonda clapped, Sid, Stinky, and Harold began to whisper to themselves, Gerald and Helga smiled slightly, but Arnold's reaction was one of fear. The _last_ thing he expected was for _his_ essay to be chosen. He didn't consider the possibilities when he chose the topic. He exclaimed, "What? But, I _can't_ read my essay aloud at the graduation ceremony! Can't you pick another person?"

Mr. Frank sighed. He sounded exhausted, "Both Mr. Packenham and I looked through _all_ the essays last night and found _yours_ to be the most motivational. We had to pick the best one and yours is _clearly_ the best. I'm sorry, but you've already been chosen to present your essay at graduation. You're on the schedule to speak, and the schedule will _not_ be changed." Suddenly, the classroom phone rang on Mr. Frank's desk and he walked over to pick it up. He said, "Hello? _Really?_ I'll be right there." He hung up and said to his class, "I'll be stepping out for a moment. Please behave." He walked out the door.

After Mr. Frank left, the other students started chatting about the conversation between Arnold and Mr. Frank.

Stinky scratched his head at his desk, "I don't get it, Arnold. What's the big deal? It's not like you haven't been on stage to present something before."

Sid commented on the left of Stinky, "Yeah! All you've got to do is your typical motivational speech. It should be simple!"

Rhonda flicked her hair at her seat, "It should be a _cinch._ I mean, you've been doing it since what, _first grade?_ It should be _second nature_ to you by now."

Nadine smiled at Rhonda who was on the right of her, and then she turned to Arnold and said, "Rhonda's right, Arnold. Helping everyone just comes _naturally_ for you. I don't think you have _anything_ to worry about."

Gerald raised his left eyebrow at his best friend, who was to the right of him, "Now, wait just a minute! Don't tell me you're worried about giving the graduation speech. That's _crazy._ Arnold! You're the most responsible and encouraging person there is. If _anyone_ can give that graduation speech, it's _you_. You just have a way with words, you always have."

Arnold rubbed his left arm with his right hand, nervously. He looked around at his class and tried to explain himself, "Look, everyone, I appreciate the kind words and encouragement, but that's not why I don't want to present my essay. I wrote my paper under some circumstances that, well," he looked away, "I _really_ don't want to share with everyone, including my own family."

Helga said from behind Arnold, "What _circumstances,_ Hair-Boy? What the _heck_ did you write about in that paper of yours? It isn't about putting up with _me,_ is it?"

Gerald looked at Arnold curiously, "What _did_ you write about, anyway? You never told me your topic."

Arnold sighed as he sunk down at his desk. It was _one_ thing to blackmail himself, but to bring his _girlfriend_ down along with him was _unthinkable._ They would be fighting for _days_ if she found out that he wrote his paper about _her._

As if reading his mind, Helga added to her earlier statement, "Well, if it's about living with _me,_ you better find a way to change that paper overnight before I let some _daylight_ into your _skull."_

As Mr. Frank walked back in from wherever he went, the conversation was temporarily dismissed.

Arnold groaned to himself. _I_ can't _discuss Helga or her past ways with the class. It wouldn't be right. But then, what_ do _I discuss at Graduation? This is going to be harder than I thought…_

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 8th, Arnold's room…**

Helga was sitting on Arnold's couch, engaging in her weekly ritual, talking with Olga on the phone. Her right leg was crossed over her left, and she was comfortably concluding the conversation. "Alright, Ms. _Mary Sunshine._ Well, it's getting close to dinner time here, so I'll have to go. _Yeah, yeah, yeah,_ I'll call you later this week, okay? Quit worrying so much! You too, bye." Helga couldn't help but laugh once she hung up the phone. She said, "Olga's _got_ to be the clingiest sister in the universe. What a surprise, huh?" She blinked when she looked over at her boyfriend. He was on his bed, writing in his binder feverishly. Sure, she was serious about him not bringing her up, but she didn't think it was possible to write a six-page essay in two days. She said to him, "Are you working on that stupid essay? This just in, Arnold, you're presenting it in _two days!_ You _can't_ write a six-page essay in that time frame!"

He looked up from writing, and sighed, "I _have_ to re-write my essay so that it's _able_ to be presented out loud."

She stared at him a moment before getting up from the couch and walking over, "You wrote that essay about living with _me_ , didn't you?"

His eyes widened a moment before his cheeks lit up in embarrassment. He wasn't good at lying. "Um, maybe?"

She held up her hands, a bit frustrated, "Figures. I _always_ get to be your science project, even when I get _help._ So, I'm guessing the changes I've made _already_ aren't enough for you now, huh?"

He sat up from the bed and walked over to her, in the middle of the room, "Of _course_ they're enough. Helga, It's not a _bad_ essay about you. It's not all about you, anyway. It's about _us,_ and my new life, living here with you. I didn't think Mr. Frank would choose my essay when I started writing it. I just knew it needed to be about a trial I've faced, and I thought of us **.** " He took her hands into his two hands gently, whispering, "Believe me, I would've chosen a different topic if I thought I was going to have to present it. There's over fifty people in sixth grade _alone._ There wasn't much of a chance I would be picked. _That's_ the only reason I wrote about you."

She forced out a laugh, "We've always been the exception, Hair-Boy. Couldn't you see that with our messed-up families? It's _so_ like us to be hand-picked for just about everything, why wouldn't we? Good fortune has _never_ been on our side." She let go of his hands and added, "What's so interesting about _me,_ anyway? Now that I'm having therapy and have taken Doctor Bliss's advice, what's there to analyze? Or is this just your way to somehow mold me into the woman you want me to be?"

"No!" he shouted with a breath, putting his hands on her shoulders, standing in front of her. He tried to calm his temper down with a deep breath. He said, "No. Listen, this has _nothing_ to do with forcing you to be different or molding you into someone you're not. I like you the way you are now. I don't _want_ you to change." He looked into her blue eyes and chanced a smile at her. He felt his heart skip a beat.

He was waiting for Helga to snap back at him or walk out and slam the door, but all she did was stare at him. He was nervous and a bit breathless for some reason he couldn't place.

He broke the silence, his hands still on her shoulders, "I'm really sorry, Helga, but I'm changing the essay right now, so you _don't_ need to worry about me bringing you up. I care _too_ much about you to put your private life in the open view of others. I would _never_ blackmail you like that, even if we _were_ fighting. If there's anything I've learned in the last year, it's not to be inconsiderate."

She thought a moment before looking into his green eyes and admitting, "Well, I _guess_ I should kill you for all of this, maybe even throw some _insults_ your way, but that would make me a _fraud."_

He looked at her curiously, "What do you mean 'a fraud'?"

"Haven't I learned _anything_ from therapy?!" As Arnold let go of her shoulders, she walked over to her backpack by the red couch and pulled out the graded essay that she wrote in class last Friday. She walked back over to him, and handed him the essay, "By the way, I would sit down while reading _this_ one. " _Living with Arnold,_ an essay written by Helga G. Pataki." Enjoy the irony!"

Arnold practically collapsed in shock, "You wrote your essay about… about… _me!?"_ He walked over to his bed to sit down in the middle. He started to read the words on the paper to himself:

" _ **Living with Arnold" by Helga Pata**_ _ **ki**_

 _ **I've had to deal with some annoying things in my short life. My dad moving out. My mother high on smoothies so bad that she collapsed and got checked into a hospital. Even my annoying older sister still annoys me sometimes, but I guess I've got more sympathy for Ms. Mary Sunshine since she has been through an abusive relationship and we talk on the phone once a week. And yet, even though I've dealt with "H-E double hockey sticks" throughout my childhood, there's still one thing that's been more difficult than**_ **that** _ **to live with, and that's living with Arnold.**_

 _ **I guess you think living with the Football Head isn't so bad, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. I mean, the guy is nice to a flaw, gives advice to everyone, easy to get along with. But the Sap proved me wrong on every one of those things this year. It wasn't just coming out about my relationship with him to the class that was difficult. Living with him and his eccentric Boarding House family is downright insane. Putting up with all their stinkin' quirks. Staying in Arnold's room, being locked up and having no privacy. The whole thing has been an absolute**_ **nightmare** _ **, a nightmare among Paradise, and so begins my complicated story.**_

 _ **First, the guy is nosy as heck! He hunted me down when I was staying in the Safe House by myself. Like, what gives?! It's like he couldn't think straight unless he and the whole class found me safe, sheesh. And did I mention how he wants to solve**_ **all** _ **the world's problems? I'm like his little**_ **science** _ **experiment! I mean, I don't mind being cared about, but I don't need to be looked after or psychoanalyzed. Criminy. That's**_ **besides** _ **the fact he's not a night owl like I am, he's an annoying morning person that "**_ **chirp—chirp—chirps** _ **" in the daylight! And he has this annoying potato alarm clock that we must wake up to every morning. I broke like nine of them already, and now I hear his stupid radio alarm going off at seven every school day. Please! Like I need to hear about who's going to**_ **die** _ **each day on the radio, we get enough of that crap on the**_ **news!**

 _ **Among**_ **that** _ **was the fights,**_ **oh** _ **the fights, we've fought over almost everything. You name it, it's been fought over. I guess being in a relationship when you're staying with somebody in the same room isn't what it's cracked up to be, but how was I to know "**_ **Mr. Perfect** _ **" was also "**_ **Mr. I-Have-Flaws-After-All** _ **"? It took me seeing a shrink to see how screwed up both of our minds were. I'm not the only one that has a messed-up family and complicated problems. If I would have known that he struggled with loneliness and depression so much it would contribute to fights and an addiction, maybe I would have treated him better. How was "I" supposed to know that behind that flawless facade was a person that made mistakes just like me? The last one I expected to have flaws was "Arnold."**_

 _ **In the past year, he proved me wrong. I thought the guy walked on water**_ _ **,**_ _ **for cripe**_ _ **s**_ _ **sake! I seriously thought he was flawless, and he could even take care of "**_ **me** _ **" in his flawlessness. Go figure, he's the furthest thing from flawless. In fact, I'm even smart enough to realize now he's probably one of the most flawed humans on the face of the Earth! He's tried to jump me so many times I've lost count! And then he blames**_ **me?** _ **But how can "**_ **I** _ **" resist turning on the charm? After all, I**_ **am** _ **his stinkin' girlfriend?! Is it any**_ **wonder** _ **we've broken up twice so far? Forget the fact that both times were**_ **my** _ **fault. Couldn't he have just worked with me? Isn't that what a relationship is all about?**_

 _ **Living with Arnold has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but that's not the point of this paper you're reading. It's been one of the biggest things I've learned from. First, not only did I realize he has flaws just like everyone else, but I've gotten to learn how to love him unconditionally and not with expectations. Funny my own family couldn't show me that because they were too busy loving each other to have any affections left to give me. Arnold doesn't**_ **love** _ **me, but he must care a**_ **heck** _ **of a lot about me to put up with some of the crap I've done to him. I've probably called him every name in the book since I've been staying at the Boarding House, but what did he expect when I'm in such close quarters with a numb-skull like him? I can't change the past at the snap of my fingers. I used to think my upbringing was responsible for my back-lashing. I guess it gave me something to cling to, besides my own failures.**_

 _ **He can get on a person's nerves when he's nice and polite! He's like the counter opposite of me and it's like, there's nothing I can do about it! I mean, sometimes I don't mind the bad boy coming out if he doesn't push me against the wall and try to "take me"! And yet, other times it's like, criminy, stop being so freaking' persistent and just let me be**_ **who I am** _ **! I am Helga G. Pataki and I am my own person. Nobody's going to change me to who they want me to be, including you! Yes, you've heard right, not even my**_ **boyfriend** _ **could change me. Only**_ **I** _ **could change**_ **myself,** _ **and believe me, until I was almost homeless for a second time because I kept picking fights with his parents that I didn't think seriously about changing myself. I thought everyone else was the problem. I was comfortable with who I was. Getting in an argument with my best friend and punching my older sister didn't make me want to change. Having Stella look down on me and Miles threatening to kick me out didn't do it. Even Arnold's attempts to help me be a better person didn't make the cut.**_

 _ **I guess you could say I've got a lot of nerve, especially when Arnold didn't return my love. I put a flipping spell on the guy! I tried to force his affections on me, and even**_ **that** _ **backfired! It did nothing but make him more skeptical of his feelings, and now he pushes me away! I try not to blame him at this point, because I realize he's only doing it because "**_ **it's the right thing to do** _ **", and he cares about my well-being. He probably wouldn't even**_ **have** _ **to force himself away if it wasn't for the spell. Pretty sad, huh? I can't get the guy to fall in love with me, so I used a spell to try to make it happen. A moment of weakness, I suppose. I guess what's even more pathetic is that it took his suffering and his struggle resisting the spell to make me see my own problems. To know that he can resist something that's supposed to be impossible to suppress? That's got to take a lot of guts. He's got to be a strong person and if he can do it, I was convinced that I could too.**_

 _ **I confronted him about changing myself, and I told him I wanted to do it for**_ **me.** _ **Not to gain his love or because somebody wanted me to. I was through with all the games. I'm still not apologizing for my past actions, though. I'm not apologizing for being unreasonably unbearable towards my peers because I had a different mindset then. I'm getting older and now I realize all the things I've lost. I want to make a new beginning. It took Arnold awhile to work with me, but he eventually decided to help me. He even got me in touch with a person that was able to help me even further, that shrink I was talking about earlier.**_

 _ **If it wasn't for living with Arnold, I don't know where I'd be right now. More so, I think I'd be pathetically lonely because Phoebe wouldn't be my best friend anymore. I probably would've continued to push her away without a positive influence encouraging me to be gentle. I'm sure Arnold-o would have forgotten all about me without me torturing him all the time. And I guess I wouldn't have people living with me that I could talk with, I would just be living by myself. Strange that I didn't think about what I was doing when I moved in by myself. I guess I thought I could live with myself better than anyone else, but I'm still just a preteen. Foster Care probably would have taken me in by now, but what was I supposed to do? I wasn't living with**_ **Olga.** _ **The last thing I expected was my former ex to move me in with him and let me stay, and after that the last thing I expected was for him to put up with me and work with my aggressive tendencies, even when we've fought every other day.**_

 _ **He may be flawed and hopeless sometimes, but I still love him, and he's still an amazing person and a pretty good partner in crime. I'm not an angel myself. I'm not perfect and I make my own mistakes. I've got into a couple of fist fights this year. I can count multiple times on both hands! I've argued and yelled and screamed at people to prove my point, but I'm making progress, and that's what's important. Living with Arnold has been like grinding teeth, but also the most rewarding experience I've had. It taught me to care more about others than myself, and to seek help for myself where I need it. If that's not a behavior that could help others through middle school and high school, I don't know**_ **what** _ **is.**_

 _ **Helga G. Pataki**_

Arnold looked up from the paper into her deep blue eyes. He wanted to get up and pull her into an embrace for some reason, but he pushed the feelings aside, and said, " _Wow,_ Helga. I… I don't know what to _say._ I feel like I should be irritated that you wrote your paper on all the bad experiences we've had, but I'm touched that I was _such_ an inspiration on you." Without willing it, his heart fluttered in his chest.

Helga sat beside him on the left, and admitted, "It wasn't just my bullying ways or my tongue-lashing attitude that you've helped me with. It was getting along with everyone, living with the boarders, dealing with your parents."

He asked her, "Would you have been prepared to read that to the sixth graders?"

Helga chuckled, "Well, just like _you,_ I didn't think I'd be chosen to present my paper. I guess sometimes living with each other, we can bring out the worse traits, including meddling in the others **'** privacy. I brought up personal stuff and I probably would've needed to rewrite my paper, too."

Arnold took a breath, leaning his lips toward hers. He whispered, "But, we can bring out the _best_ traits in each other too, right?"

She was getting lost in his eyes again. She whispered back, "You're saying _that_ after _how_ many screaming matches and fake breakups? Think realistically, Bucko."

He groaned as he forced himself to pull back from kissing her. He grabbed her two hands and squeezed them affectionately instead, "Look, it's been difficult living with you, but the good has outweighed the bad in many ways. Sure, we fight and scream and argue, but we work things out in the end, and we've learned how to compromise and work through our differences. I don't think we would be as mature if we weren't forced to get along. I mean, you couldn't _move_ out and I couldn't _throw_ you out, otherwise you would be homeless. It also forced me to put your needs above my own and learn self-control. We've helped each _other_. That's… that's what I wrote my original paper about." He flipped through his binder and pulled out his six-page paper, handing it to her.

She curiously read what he wrote:

" _ **Living with Helga"**_

 _ **What's the most difficult thing I've done in the years I've lived at Hillwood? It didn't take me long to come up with an answer, because it's probably been the most difficult thing: living with Helga. Don't get me wrong, Helga is a kind person when she wants to be. She's also my girlfriend, so the fights are kind of inevitable. I've wanted nothing but to be there for her in her time of need, and to be the best boyfriend that she's needed me to be, but she hasn't been the best girlfriend I've needed her to be while staying with me. I guess you could say that she's put me through more of a difficult time living with me then she's put me through in the years she's teased me. What makes it more difficult is that I realize she loves me now, so I keep thinking she's supposed to be treating me better. I guess it's common to believe the people that love you are supposed to treat you right, but it's not realistic. It's not realistic when you're living under the same roof and sharing all your things. I guess I didn't realize how awesome it was being an only child until I was forced to share my computer, my pencils and papers, my printer, my television, I mean, I'm not trying to sound selfish, but I kind of like having my own space and having my own things organized. To share them with somebody else that has different expectations and needs was awful. I had to learn how to put up with that. I also had to learn how to maneuver around her bad moods, because it's different when you only see a person for forty hours a week in school. When they're living with you, you don't get a break from them, or any privacy. The fights that you have don't have time to be worked out, and you must talk about things to solve them. I was so used to ignoring Helga when she hurt me, and I assumed I could continue to do that when she moved in with me. It was probably how some of the fight started to begin with. I wasn't willing to talk about things and I thought they would just go away. I'm not very good with words myself, so I can't place all the blame on her, but I didn't think I needed to express my words when I felt them. I just thought she would eventually learn what she was doing wrong and change her behaviors herself. I've learned a lot living with Helga, I've put up with a lot of her behaviors, but I've also learned where I've needed to adjust and change mine. She's not the only person who's made mistakes here, I am. It should be obvious by now that I feel bad about some of the things I've done wrong in our relationship, but there's nothing I can do about my past mistakes except confess them and move past them.**_

 _ **I kind of gave up being the world's greatest boyfriend about six months ago, when I started to lose control of myself. I care a lot about her and I know she cares about me too, but I wanted more than anything for her to change herself, and when she was unwilling to change, I wanted to throw her out. Sounds kind of selfish to let your girlfriend be homeless just because she's taking all your things and yelling and screaming every day, doesn't it? I guess you could say I was a bit selfish. But I really did believe she needed to change, and it took me a good three months to realize I wasn't the person to make her change, but it was herself that had to realize she needed to change. I needed to accept her as she was. I guess around that time we started to express our feelings better, but then we started to kiss and hug more often. I've gotten involved with her in ways I shouldn't have. It was like all our feelings were being expressed physically, and that wasn't right, either. Just because we couldn't express the words didn't mean we should express our feelings**_ **that** _ **way. I just wanted us to get along and talk civilly, I didn't want us to yell or scream, but I didn't want us to be French kissing and making out all the time around people either. Especially considering she wanted to keep the relationship a secret from the class at the beginning.**_

 _ **I didn't realize how selfish I was until I tried to force her to "come out" to the class about having a relationship with me. When you're used to focusing on your own needs and wants, bringing somebody else into the picture is difficult. Even having a girlfriend, it was difficult seeing her own needs when I never had to live in the same room with somebody my own age for an extended period. I was the only child of my parents and my cousin is never around enough to stay long, besides, nobody likes him. I had to learn how to sacrifice things, I had to learn how to bite my tongue sometimes. It's hard enough living with a girl, but it's even more difficult living with a girlfriend. And I guess you could say that's where my journey begins.**_ **That's** _ **why living with Helga has been the most difficult thing I've done.**_

 _ **We've practically broken up twice, although both times have been misunderstandings from the both of us believing that the relationship had ended. Truthfully, I don't think our relationship is going to be a steady one, considering she likes to pick fights with me all the time, even now. My heart couldn't deal with that all the time without occasional breaks. I do believe we can work through those fights though and become stronger people because of them. She says she loves me, but sometimes I'm hesitant to believe it. She doesn't know how to express it with words, and the few times that she**_ **has** _ **expressed it in words, it's been "in the Heat of the Moment". It's hard to explain, but it's frustrating, especially since she wants to hear the words from**_ **me** _ **so badly.**_

 _ **I'm not a stranger to unrequited love. Sure, I don't love Ruth or Lila, but I**_ **did** _ **"like-like" them and I**_ **did** _ **want them to "like-like" me back because I had a crush on them, but it never happened. Unless I'm sure of my feelings, I won't say the words. I'd like to think I'm not the type of person to "lead somebody on". It's not that I**_ **don't** _ **care for Helga, because I**_ **do,** _ **it's just that I'm afraid I'm going to ruin our relationship. Maybe if I received the kind of love I needed from my parents, I could define "love" for myself and I would know if I was "in" love with Helga. After all, it's hard to love**_ **anyone** _ **with a broken heart. Doctor Bliss made some good points when I went to therapy. I've been thinking**_ **a lot** _ **about my feelings lately, and hers. Maybe**_ **that's** _ **why Helga waited so long to tell me the truth. Her family wasn't exactly "normal". Just like me, she's had to raise herself in some respects.**_

 _ **After going through a rough time and a couple breaks in our relationship, I can honestly say that I've learned the purpose of relationships and what it means to sacrifice and compromise myself for the sake of others. It's one thing helping others with problems and giving advice to people. It's another to deal with somebody's temper and aggression, along with trying to understand their point of view. I had to deal with a lot of stuff while living with Helga, but it's only helped me become a stronger person. Even the things she's done against me, like put me through stuff that I couldn't resist. I'm grateful for it, because it's made me a better boyfriend. Living with Helga has been one of the most difficult things I've ever done in my life, but I would do it again if I had to. She's an amazing person, and I would do**_ **anything** _ **for her.**_

 _ **Arnold Philip Shortman**_

She narrowed her eyes at him, and then rolled them. She huffed as she got off the bed and crossed her arms, _"_ Great! _Just_ what the whole sixth grade needs to hear before we go off to middle school. Why do you insist on embarrassing me and making me seem soft? Assertive, yes, but _delicate?_ " she said, honestly, "I'll _never_ be your pretty flower girlfriend and I don't _appreciate_ you trying to make me."

He sighed as he got up to walk over to her, "I already _told_ you I'm _not_ trying to change you, and I'm _not_ going to present _that_ paper. _That's_ why I'm re-writing it—"

"—But don't you see? That's _exactly_ what would have happened if you _had_ presented it! I'm out of therapy, working CBT with a bunch of worksheets on exposure therapy, and _then_ you're going to make me fall all over again, just like I've done a dozen times to _you_ with your _own_ problems. It's _obvious_ I still have work to do changing myself. You're tempting me over here, Arnold-o! I'm more accustomed to using my fists to protect myself than my assertive words. It's just that with your problems, you're more tempted to use your body to show your affections than _say_ the words!"

He wanted to run his hands down her back to comfort her but realized it wouldn't be a good idea. He settled for saying, "Listen, I'm _not_ going to cause you to backslide like _I've_ done. I'm not even going to bring up living with you. There's _plenty_ of other battles I've conquered that I can use as inspiration to encourage the graduating class, _without_ bringing up _your_ problems."

She stared at him, "Like _what,_ Bucko? I'd _really_ like to know how you're going to get us out of _this_ mess!"

He thought a moment as he glanced around his room. Suddenly, he noticed something that gave him an idea of what he could write his paper about. He walked over to his bed, sat down **,** and grabbed his binder. He whispered, "I have an idea, but you're going to have to trust me."

"Trust you? Well, _sure,_ but don't _I_ have the right to know if your future topic had to do with _me?"_

He said to her reassuringly, "It has _nothing_ to do with you. I have work to do." With those words, he took out a new sheet of notebook paper and started writing.

* * *

 **Friday, June 10th, Morning Graduation…**

All the sixth graders were backstage with their parents. The graduating sixth graders were all wearing blue clothes, along with robes and tassels for the ceremony. The graduation was being held in the auditorium. Arnold was talking with his parents and grandparents backstage.

Stella smiled at her son, "I'm so proud of you, _Baby._ Not only are you graduating elementary school, and you have your fancy robe and tassel, but you're even giving the graduation speech this morning, for all your little classmates!"

Miles reached down to pick up his son and hugged him. Arnold tried to ignore the irritation in the pit of his stomach as his father said, "I'm _very_ happy for you, little guy. Now, go out there and give your classmates the little speech you've prepared." After Miles put his embarrassed son down on the ground, Stella and Miles both walked away to grab a seat in the audience.

Phil and Gertie approached Arnold as his parents walked away. Phil said to him, "Hey there, Shortman. Are you _sure_ you're ready for all of this? You look like a caged porcupine about to lose all his quills."

Arnold nodded as looked up at his grandpa, "I'm ready, just a little nervous. I never thought the struggles I've been through in my past could be used to encourage others for their future."

Gertie hugged Arnold, "You're growing up so fast, Roosevelt. Soon, you'll be retiring from office."

As Gertie pulled away from hugging Arnold, Phil said to her, "Now, don't make the boy any more nervous than he is, Pookie. He's got _a lot_ on his mind right now. By the way, what's your topic tonight, Shortman?"

Arnold took a deep breath before admitting, "Something that I'm hoping won't make my parents hate me or throw Helga out. I have things I need to get off my chest. I need to be honest about my struggles and feelings with everyone, and I think this speech is a good way to do it."

Phil's eyes widened in realization after his grandson said those words. He already knew Arnold was going to confront his parents about their behavior. He said, truthfully, "I wish you all the luck in the world."

After Phil and Gertie walked away to grab a seat in the audience, Helga and Gerald approached Arnold. Helga was wearing a blue dress with a robe and tassel. All the other sixth grade girls were wearing blue dresses for graduation.

Gerald spoke first, "Now, are you going to tell us what your speech is about? At least let your _best friend_ and _girlfriend_ in on the secret. Can't be _that_ nerve-wracking like you were making it out to be."

Arnold looked into Gerald's eyes and whispered to him, "You'll see in a few minutes."

Helga rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "What's with all the secrecy all of a sudden, Football Head?"

Arnold whispered to his girlfriend, "I want to give our class some _useful_ advice, something better than talking problems out or ' _doing the right thing'_. I want to give them words to live by. I also need to tell my parents how I feel, even if it hurts. I've had this hole in my heart for so many years because of a lack of love from them. I need them to see me as I am, and hopefully, give me the love back that I need from them so badly. I need closure."

Gerald shook his head, " _Mmm, mmm, mmm._ You're a _bold_ kid, Arnold. A _bold_ kid."

After they did their new thumb handshake and Gerald walked away, Helga said to her boyfriend, "Are you _sure_ you're ready for this, Bucko? What if they don't see things your way and still think of you as a little kid?"

Arnold seemed even _more_ nervous at that statement. He whispered to her, "They _won't_ think of me as a little kid anymore, after tonight."

Helga stared at him thoughtfully for a moment before they heard Principal Wartz make the announcement to the crowd, "And now, I present to you, Mr. Arnold Shortman, class speaker for the sixth-grade class!"

Helga gave Arnold a flirtatious smirk, and said to him, "Knock 'em dead, Buttercup." She hit him on his left shoulder with her right hand before she walked away to grab a seat. Helga sat in the crowd beside Phoebe and Gerald, and the rest of their class was seated around them as well.

The students and parents applauded in the audience at Arnold's introduction to speak.

Arnold took one last deep breath before walking out from backstage onto the podium. He looked out at everyone. Not only were his parents and grandparents only seven rows away from the front, but his entire class was there, and all their parents. He became even _more_ nervous about what he was going to say, but before he got the chance to forget the speech and give the microphone back to Principal Wartz, he noticed Doctor Bliss from the left side of the crowd, looking at him with an encouraging smile on her face. She put her right thumb up at him, almost as if she knew what he was going to say. He smiled back at her and gave her a right thumb up before deciding to take the risk with his words, and he cleared his throat. He finally had the courage to speak:

"Most of you know me as Arnold Shortman, sixth-grade student in the class of two thousand twenty **-** five. I was chosen by the sixth-grade class teachers to give a motivational speech to you guys, to encourage you in your journey off to middle school and high school, and to motivate you to do the ' _right thing_ ' and to seek the welfare of others. I'm guessing my speech was chosen because of the words I chose to write. There're many times I've been selfish and self-centered, not just this year, but in my life. That was what my original speech was about. I learned from past mistakes to be a more compassionate person to others, but I would like to tell you _another_ story today, something that goes _beyond_ compassion. Elementary school has changed and shaped every one of you, including me. It's made me see what's important in my life and has taught me a lot of lessons along the way. Unfortunately, I'm just a regular kid like you guys are, and I'm only able to offer encouragement off my own struggles and experiences. Sure, I could express how to be selfless and help others all _day,_ but how would that help you in your journey off to middle school? How would that help you in your journey through _life?_ Life is so much more than being selfless, it's about changing yourself for the sake of others."

Arnold looked around at everyone, concentrating on his words as he continued, "I didn't think it would be fair to give a speech on what I've been speaking about for years, because I've talked with ninety percent of you already. It's more useful that you hear what's in my heart, and that you see me as somebody that can stand by you, not just give you advice or solve your problems, but be there for you as a type of mentor. When entering your teen years, you don't need to hear that you should talk things out or 'do the right thing', because sometimes, life doesn't work that way. Sometimes the path from wrong to right is blurred. Sure, maybe it was good to give advice and solve your problems when we were in elementary school, but that's not the way things work in the real world, and it's not going to be so easy going through middle school or high school. Today, I'm here on stage to offer you some _real_ advice, based on my own personal experiences with difficulty. There's a reason I'm going to be honest and tell you about my struggles. I want you to see me as a kid that makes mistakes, just like you guys. I'm just a regular preteen like the rest of you. I'm not perfect and I've got deep struggles. You need to know the truth about me and the things I've been through to learn the truth about _yourselves._ My struggles have forced me to grow up and face reality as it was, not as I wanted it to be, and it's going to do the same to you guys as well. It made me change my behavior and work through the hard times, even though I thought it was impossible to change."

Gerald turned to Helga who was on his right. He whispered to her, "So, you're the dude's g _irlfriend._ What's he going to preach about today?"

Helga shrugged and whispered back to him, "Beats me. How should _I_ know? Just because we're dating doesn't mean that he tells me _everything!"_

Gerald asked, "Well, is he bringing up living with you?"

Her eyes widened in fear at the thought, "He _promised_ me that he wouldn't mention _anything_ to _do_ with me!"

Gerald thought a moment before whispering to her, "I'm just wondering. Even as his best friend, I've been in the dark about so many things going on in his life. I'm wondering if he'll put any of the pieces together tonight."

She scolded him, " _Some_ things are meant to be _private,_ Gerald-o, now pipe down and listen and maybe you'll hear what he's saying!"

Up on stage, Arnold was still speaking, "—But more than anything this year, I've struggled with addictive tendencies to do things that are _not_ in my nature to do. I've struggled with pornography."

Helga and Gerald's eyes went wide, and there were several gasps in the audience.

Gerald looked at Helga and whispered, "Did he just say, what I _think_ he just said?"

Helga hit her head with her left hand and drug it down her face. She thought to herself. _Oh, criminy!_

Arnold continued, "—I used to stay out every night to avoid looking at pornography on my computer at home. Sometimes I would be on the computer all night looking at things I shouldn't. I eventually had to cut the computer cords to change myself. I've _never_ struggled with drugs or pills or alcohol or any of that other stuff adults struggle with, but I sure know how it feels to have an addiction, something that my mind got trapped inside of that I couldn't turn away from, no matter how hard I tried. It took me a couple months to _really_ get a handle on my struggle, and to turn back to doing the ' _right thing_ '.

Helga could only stare at her love in shock as he spoke. _What the heck…! He's bringing_ _that_ _to the table instead of_ _me_ _? Has he lost his_ _mind_ _?!_

Arnold continued, "I _finally_ understand what it feels like to go through an addiction. To go through a stronghold that you're forced to change in your life, but you _can't_. With these words, I will now say that I will willingly accept all struggles that the class has related to difficult types of problems like these in the future. I'm not going to accept them from you guys to _solve_ them, but I want to stand by you as a mentor so that you can work through them. I want to help you to make it through these issues, like I have. I have been away from pornography now for twenty-three days, and each day, I recommit myself and remind myself what's _most_ important."

Rhonda turned to look at Nadine in shock, "Oh… my word, did… did he _really_ say all of that _ou_ _t l_ _oud?"_

Nadine swallowed, "I'm as surprised as you are. Rhonda. _Arnold_ , addicted to… _that?_ I would have _never_ known! Then again, I've never engaged in it, so I guess I wouldn't understand."

Stinky asked out loud, scratching his head, "Um, what is pornography? I reckon I don't have a dang clue."

Harold whispered to the boys around him, "It means he's been jacking off to dirty pictures and videos."

Some of the guys chuckled as Stinky gasped in shock, "Willikers. _That's_ what he's been doing in his free time? Geez."

Sid was laughing in shock, "Wow, _last_ thing I expected from the Shortman. Well, I guess he isn't all that _Short_ if he's doing _that._ Go Arnold!"

Harold whispered to Sid, "Do you think he has a stash he'll give us?"

Sid whispered back, "I bet he has loads of pictures he can loan us."

Rhonda exclaimed, "Ugh, you guys are absolutely _disgusting._ Why would _anyone_ look at such filth?"

Nadine questioned Rhonda, "But, if he's dating Helga now, wouldn't that mean he's been—"

Phoebe gasped in realization, "Oh, _my."_

Arnold continued, not paying any attention to the reactions in the audience, "—The other thing is because I was basically cheating, and not just on myself. I was so alone. I _felt_ so alone. I mean, at first it felt good to look at pornography, and it even helped me relax and fall asleep at night, but then, it only made me feel guilty, lonely, and hopeless. It became an addiction that I couldn't stop no matter what I did. It made me regret the things I've done and the ways that I've hurt those I cared about. I later found out I struggled so badly because I felt like I was abandoned by my own family, and my parents. Nobody's a stranger to what's happened earlier this year when my parents came back from San Lorenzo. What you guys may not know is how much I've struggled to relate to them, and understand what they've been through, and how much they've struggled to understand me, and my age. Sometimes I don't believe they think I'm twelve years old. They think they've only been gone a year, and that I'm still a baby. They've taken me to the circus and the petting zoo. They've tried to help me with homework and listen to my problems, but it's not enough."

Stella whispered to her husband on the left of her, her eyes fixed on her son, "Is he bringing _us_ into this, Miles?"

Miles whispered back to his wife on the right, "I didn't know he felt lonely and forgotten after we returned, did _you?"_

Phil interrupted them both from behind, "I kept telling you that boy is no toddler, but did you both listen? _No…!"_

Stella thought in realization. _Wait. If he's struggled with porn this year, then what was on his keyboard_ must _have been—?_ She gasped in shock and stood up. She slowly made her way out of the front seats, holding her head with her left hand.

Miles noticed his wife's disturbed look and said to her, "Sweetie, is everything okay?"

Stella admitted, "Give me a couple minutes, Miles. I need to think."

Arnold was now watching his grandpa as he spoke, "They were just struggling adults that struggled with things of their own, and before anyone decides that I'm older than I seem because of the words I'm admitting to you aloud today, I would like to inform you that I'm _not_ an adult _either._ I'm not a toddler, but I'm not an adult. I'm in the middle, twelve years old and going into seventh grade. I repeat, I am _not_ twenty-one, and I do not wish to be treated as such."

Phil scratched his chin in thought at Arnold's accusing words, "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle, he's actually _right!"_

Gertie thought to herself a moment before turning to her left to speak to Phil, "I think the president just impeached himself."

Phil laughed lightly, "I think you might be right about that, Pookie." He put his right arm on her shoulders, the two of them were still focused on their grandson.

Helga just watched her boyfriend speaking. She wondered how long he was _going_ to speak. Did he write more than six pages? She thought to herself. _What the heck is the_ purpose _of all of this? Does he_ really _want to embarrass himself_ this _badly before we go off to middle school?"_

Arnold answered Helga's thoughts as he spoke, "You're probably all wondering why I'm telling you all of this. It's because my issues are issues that you guys are going to be experiencing as well one day. I'm not the only one that will go through these issues related to puberty, and you guys won't be the exception. If it's not with pornography, it will be with another problem. It maybe with drinking or smoking or doing drugs. It may be with getting involved in a gang, or skipping school, or writing graffiti on the walls. It may even be with your parents getting divorced or remarried, or even with your brothers and sisters. This is much deeper than stealing a phone or writing a fake love letter or taking the brakes off Eugene's bike. It's going through relationships and breakups and learning to care about each other despite your flaws. Most importantly, it's learning to sacrifice yourselves, not for the benefit of yourselves, but for the benefit of others. All of you should live your lives in such a way that you motivate others in this difficult world. Your actions speak louder than your words. My advice to the class of two thousand twenty-five isn't to avoid struggling with the things of the future, but to look at your future with an open mind, never giving up on yourselves or other people, and staying strong. You never know _whose_ presence you're going to be influencing. Your positive influence is liable to come back to you. That's the purpose of your lives, and as I said, I'll be here if anyone wants a hug or a shoulder to cry on. I'll be more than a problem solver in our middle school and high school years. I'll be an example and a mentor you can look up to. Congratulations to all of you for making it this far and may every one of you have a wonderful and safe transition into middle school, and a wonderful summer!"

Doctor Bliss watched in the distance with a smile on her face. She was the first one to start clapping. She was proud of Arnold for being brave enough to admit his struggles to the class, and his family.

Slowly, everyone else started clapping at the _mature_ speech he'd given them, even though there were a lot of shocked stares from the guys and the parents in the audience, along with a few disgusted stares from some of the girls in his class, especially Rhonda.

Arnold walked off the stage and down the steps as everyone in the audience stood up for intermission.

Arnold walked over to his parents before anyone else. They were walking over to him as well.

He said to them, "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry I've been keeping secrets from you about my struggles. I didn't know how to talk to you. The truth is, I feel alone sometimes when you don't understand me and treat me like a little kid. I'd like you to treat me as a _twelve-year-old,_ and I'd like you to love me unconditionally and forgive me for the mistakes I _have_ made this year. I don't want you to throw Helga out or hate me because of my failures." He forced himself to continue, "Helga and I have actually been in a relationship the whole time she's been staying at the Boarding House."

Stella looked shocked a moment, but the shock turned into sadness quickly, "Oh, Arnold, we would _never_ hate you. Sweetie, you're the only son we've _got._ And I'm _so_ sorry that some of the decisions that me and your father have made in the past have caused you to feel such grief. Can we put the past behind us and start over? I want to be the mother you need me to be, and I want to be there for you in your middle school years, and in your relationship with Helga."

Miles rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand nervously, and said to Arnold, "I want us to start over too, son. I realize you've made some bad decisions in the past, but so have we. I'm willing to put your mistakes behind me if you're willing to forgive _us_ for _ours._ We've missed out on _so_ many years together, but I don't want _that_ to be the reason that we miss out on your _teen_ years. We're obviously _never_ going to get back the years that we've lost from our decision to go to San Lorenzo, but your future is important to us, you're _our_ future, son."

Arnold smiled as he felt his eyes water up. Were they _serious?_ Was _this_ unconditional love? He asked, cautiously, "What—what about Eduardo and the Green-Eyed People? I mean, I don't mean to sound selfish, but would you _ever_ leave me again to go on another mission, even if it would benefit others?"

Miles said, "Those days are over, Arnold. Now that we're back in your life, you're our _top_ priority. Over our jobs, our counseling, and of _course_ you're more important than _any_ missions. We only get one chance to be parents to you. That time is now."

Stella nodded, now crying a bit herself watching her son shed tears. She said to him, "We're _not_ going to leave you again, for _anything_ , Sweetie."

Miles hugged Arnold as he said, "I _love_ you, son. I'm _not_ leaving you this time. Your future and happiness are what's most important to us, my little middle-schooler." He broke the short hug.

Stella added, "And don't be afraid to talk with us if you have any struggles or difficulties in your relationship with Helga. Your father and I want to make up for all the years we've missed out on, not by treating you as a kid, but by helping you become an _adult._ It's time to forgive ourselves for our past mistakes, right, Miles?"

Miles nodded at his wife, "I agree. The past is _over._ We've got renewed life now thanks to you and your girlfriend, and that life involves _you."_

Arnold smiled, crying in happy tears, "Thank you! Thank you so much, Mom and Dad!" The three of them group hugged just as Phil and Gertie walked over.

Phil couldn't help but smirk, "Well… this is an interesting family reunion that's going on over here. It's almost like the first time you've seen each other, isn't it?"

The three of them pulled away from their group hug. Arnold turned to his grandpa and said, honestly, "Listen, Grandpa. I didn't know how to tell you my feelings, but I needed to express them up there. I don't want to have so many responsibilities on my shoulders at such a young age. I don't mind helping and doing chores, but sometimes, I want to be a preteen kid, just like all the _other_ guys my age."

Gertie ruffled his hair as she spoke, "Aw, Kimba. I've _always_ thought of you as my little soldier."

Phil said, "Well, if that's what you want, Shortman, _that's_ the way it's going to be." He sighed as he scratched his head in thought, "I'm sorry, Arnold. I've always thought that you _wanted_ all that pressure and responsibility on your shoulders. You've always taken on the world. _That's_ why I've always given you more responsibilities and treated you like an adult. I suppose I overstepped my boundaries a little bit."

Arnold smiled at his grandpa's realization, "It's okay, Grandpa, and don't worry, I _still_ have a work ethic. I just don't want to be overwhelmed with too much of it."

Phil laughed as he said to his grandson, "I guess as long as you can _work_ hard, you can _play_ hard just as well."

Arnold grinned as his grandpa walked away, to talk with his son and daughter-in-law.

Gertie bent down to Arnold's level, and put her right hand on his left shoulder, "Number Nine, if you want to talk with us about _anything_ , just let us know. Tap on our door a couple times before you go off on one of your middle school missions."

After Gertie walked away, Helga and Gerald approached Arnold cautiously.

Arnold looked over at them as Gerald exclaimed, "You've got guts, man. Pornography? _Never_ thought you were struggling with _that!_ Was _that_ what all those self-help books you've been reading are about?"

Arnold sighed as he looked down at the ground, "Yup."

Gerald crossed his arms as he looked at Arnold, "At least _some_ of the pieces are starting to fall together."

Helga stared at Arnold as he turned from Gerald to meet her eyes. Helga said, "You _do_ realize the whole class knows what you've been struggling with at this point, right? Can't say I'd be able to take the ' _walk of shame_ ' just to save you the ridicule. I'm creeped out, but criminy, I'm also _impressed._ How did you manage to even get the _words_ out?"

Arnold admitted to her, "I didn't just do it to save you the ridicule, I did it to help _myself._ I couldn't _go on_ giving advice without being honest about my _own_ failures. I also knew I needed to talk with my parents and grandparents about how I've been feeling or else I would keep giving into those temptations. It was something I had to do."

Sid, Stinky, and Harold walked over to Arnold, Gerald, and Helga.

Harold said, "Hey, Arnold? Uh, I was just wondering, you know?" He grabbed his left arm with his right hand and rubbed it as he said in a nervous voice, "How did you stop looking at images like that? Patty and I have been dating for a few months now and I don't want her to find out I've been doing what you have."

Helga hit her face with her left hand, "Sheesh, Harold, _seriously?_ Do we all _really_ need to know about this? Shouldn't this be something you discuss with Arnold _privately?_ I'm sure _that_ would help your relationship _a lot_ more than being open about something like _this_ when Patty's in the same stinkin' area!"

Gerald mentioned to Harold, pointing a thumb at Helga, "You've got to admit, Bubba, Arnold's girlfriend _has_ a point." Him and Helga shared an understanding smile.

Stinky said to Arnold, "Hey Arnold, I know you aren't giving much advice anymore, but I could use your _heroic wisdom._ I was thinking about your little speech up there, and I was wondering if I should be brave like you and ask Little Miss Lila to be my gal."

Sid admitted, "I _also_ wouldn't mind a bit of your wisdom. I kind of got involved with Big Gino a few weeks ago. I caught him in a drug bust in the alleyway with an older middle-schooler and he saw me. I'm afraid if I rat the truth to get him caught, he's going to take me down. He's been giving me subtle hints since last week."

Harold said in thought, "And how did you keep your problem a secret? I mean, I wouldn't mind doing the porn on the side just as long as I can keep it a secret from Patti."

Arnold sighed at Sid and Stinky and couldn't help but roll his eyes at Harold, "Okay. I will offer you some of my wisdom, but you guys have to figure out how to work through these problems on your own. I've got my _own_ problems to work on."

Sid shouted in a panic, "But Gino's going to _kill_ me!"

Arnold sighed again, "Okay, Sid, if Gino is _really_ involved with a drug bust like you _say_ he is, then you _need_ to contact the police. You don't need to tell Gino that you contacted the police and you can remain confidential, but you need to contact them so that they can do something about it. Stinky, why don't you just _ask_ Lila if she wants to go out with you? She might say yes, And Harold, you need to tell your parents about the problems you're having and talk with Doctor Bliss. Admitting that you've had a problem is the _first_ step, not trying to _engage_ in it. I'm sure Doctor Bliss would be able to help you with those urges _a lot_ better than I could. She helped me a whole lot with mine."

Helga was surprised, "Doctor Bliss? I thought you went to the arcades last Saturday with the guys!"

Arnold smiled at his girlfriend, remembering his talk with Doctor Bliss about her, "I cancelled so that I could talk with her about my problems. I used the money that you gave back to me. More than anything, I wanted to be faithful to _you."_ After Arnold spoke, he happened to look across from him to see Doctor Bliss giving him a smile, and then a wink. He smiled back at her, happy that at least _one_ woman was proud of him for being honest, even though _some_ of the girls in his class were giving him weird looks and starting to keep their distance from him.

As everybody gathered around and started talking about summer vacation, Rhonda approached Arnold and Helga with envelopes in her hands.

Rhonda said to Helga, "I don't believe that I need to tell you about the events happening next Saturday at my house, Helga, but I _do_ need to invite your boyfriend."

Arnold asked Rhonda, "Invite me? To what?"

Rhonda handed him a closed envelope, "My parents are out on their thirteenth wedding anniversary, so I've got the mansion to myself. I've invited the sixth graders over for a graduation party during that time. Just so you know, Arnold, I'm doing this _against_ my better judgment, considering all that you've said on stage this morning, but you _have_ been our friend since pre-K, and you've helped _me_ a dozen times. I've decided to take the risk, you and your girlfriend _are_ invited over to the party next Saturday," she leaned in to whisper in his ear harshly, "Just keep your hands _off_ my computer _and_ my smartphone."


	21. Chapter 21: Arnold's Confession

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** This is a warning that this story will later become **M** **-** **Rated**. _This_ chapter is rated **M** for the two dance scenes.

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 **Reviews** **:  
Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro: **He most certainly will take those risks, and thanks for the review.  
 **CoolGirl-Pataki:** So glad that you liked the chapter. If you liked the last one, this one's going to be one you'll read several times. Thanks for the review.  
 **ForeverRogue:** Here you go. It's what you've been waiting for the whole story. I think you know what I'm talking about. *wink* Thanks for the review.  
 **The J.A.M.:** He works under pressure here too, lol, and thanks for the review.  
 **SakiKitty:** Yup, it took guts, _that's_ for sure. Here you go. Everything you've been waiting for, packed into one chapter. Thanks for the review.  
 **Kryten:** Very true, and thanks for the review.  
 **Em Pataki:** Thank you for the long review! Arnold did it for himself and Helga, Helga is changing, but she still reverts into bully-mode sometimes. Arnold was dying inside keeping all those secrets from everyone. I probably should have had Principal Wartz stop him, but it's funny with the chapter the way it is, and I wouldn't change a thing at this point. Arnold's parents truly love him, and we've finally got to see proof of that in this story. I don't know what you're going to think about this chapter, but I _do_ think that you'll like the confession scene. Your mouth might drop as you're reading the dance scenes between Arnold and Helga at the end. It's almost identical to the April Fool's Day episode, though.  
 **Qmiki Chan:** Thanks for the review, and I'm glad that you like it. If you think the situations I put Arnold through are something, try keeping him in _character_ the whole time. It wasn't an easy thing to do; that's _one_ of the reasons I have an editor, plus I edited this myself five times _before_ sending it off to that person. Yes, I'm overcautious. I didn't forget about Miriam. You'll see her in the next chapter. Olga explains that she was at graduation, I just didn't show Olga in the last chapter.  
 **The Wasp1995:** That was a heck of a speech to write! I worked individually on each speech. They all served an important purpose. I'm trying to tie up all loose ends at this point. Phoebe and Gerald, the spell, _and_ the confession are tied up in this chapter. Miriam and Olga are tied up in the next one, which will be the _last._ Thanks for the review.  
 **BaSingTei:** Glad to hear that you like the story. Here's a fifty-three-page chapter for you. Thanks for the review.  
 **Themainman123:** Thank you for the kind words and the review. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.  
 **Guest:** It's here, _enjoy!  
_ **Smooth Pancakes:** I'm happy to hear you enjoyed _Cafeteria Confessions_ and _Halloween Confessions._ It took me _years_ to get done that series, _way_ longer than it's going to take to finish _this_ one. I sent you a PM to respond to your reviews, which you know at this point. Thanks for _all_ of them, by the way! I enjoyed reading your summary of each chapter. They even motivated me to keep working on this, despite having two jobs that take up most of my time.

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 **Chapter 21: Arnold's Confession/Rhonda's Party**

 **Saturday June 11th,** **afternoon.**

Helga was in Arnold's room napping.

Arnold and his parents were downstairs, sitting together on the couch in the living room. Arnold was in the middle, Stella to his left and Miles to his right. They were looking through an old photo album together from when Arnold was a baby. They were talking and laughing, just like a family should.

Stella pointed at a picture of when Arnold was one, in a blue shirt and black pants, standing at the playground, "Look at _that! That_ was the day after Miles and I went shopping to get you new clothes. You were already growing out of your baby ones. That was the only time we could get you to stay still. You were _so_ big for your age, so _brave_ and _adventurous_. I can count _multiple_ times that we've had to save you from getting into _serious_ accidents, even outside of the jungle when we got back to Hillwood. You were such a curious boy."

Miles smiled as he looked at his son, "That's why we decided to leave the jungle. It was no place to raise a child. I never wanted to go back again. I told my friend Eduardo that part of our lives was _over."_

Arnold said to them, "Then why _did_ you both go back if you were determined to stay and take care of me?"

Stella touched Arnold's face gently with her hands, "Sweetie, we thought it would be a quick trip. We were planning on being back home in a week. It was easy to make the serum once we got there; I've done it before. The _last_ thing we expected was to catch the sleeping sickness and be delayed on our trip back."

Miles looked at his son, "It was hard to leave you that day. If we knew we would be stuck in San Lorenzo for ten years, we wouldn't have gone. It was difficult realizing this last year that we've lost so many years with you as a child. I don't know about Stella, but _that's_ why _I've_ always treated you as if you were younger. I guess I was hoping I could get back those years by doing it," he sighed, looking away with regret and closing his eyes painfully, "I'm never going to get back those years. I'm _so_ sorry, son."

Arnold put his left hand on his chin. He had never considered that his parents felt _guilty_ _._ He said to his dad, " _Really?_ I mean, you felt so bad that you subconsciously treated me as if I was _younger?"_

Stella nodded with tears in her eyes, looking at her twelve-year-old son. Just _thinking_ about all the wasted years filled her with regrets, "Of _course_ , Sweetheart. If we would've stayed with you instead of going to help the Green Eyes through the sleeping sickness, you would've _never_ felt such loneliness and abandonment from our absence. I wish I could take back that terrible decision we've made and all the pain you've gone through because of our absence."

Arnold smiled sadly at his mother and reached his arms out to pull her into a hug, "It wasn't _your_ fault, Mom. You were just doing what you did best, helping other people. Not only that, but you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Green Eyes saving both of your lives. It's only _fair_ that you do the same for _them,_ " he pulled back from the embrace, "I'm not mad at you or dad anymore. I recognize at _this_ point it was necessary."

Miles sighed _, "No,_ Arnold. It was a _selfish_ decision that we both made. You're our _son_ _._ _You're_ the most important priority in our lives."

Stella grabbed Arnold's left hand, causing him to look into her eyes curiously. She said to him, " _You're_ our _life,_ Sweetheart. Never forget that. _You're_ the thing we want to sacrifice our lives for every single day."

Arnold looked down, now feeling like the one that was being selfish. He said to them, "Don't worry, Mom and Dad. I may be getting older, but I'm _still_ twelve. You still have my teen years to be parents to me, and there's no reason you can't guide me through my adult years as well. After all, I'm _still_ going to need you when I'm an adult."

Miles was so thankful, he threw his arms around Arnold, and Stella started crying in happiness. She wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hands. His parents could tell that they were _truly_ forgiven by their son.

After Miles let go of his embrace, Arnold said, "I know that you both love me. I can see that from your actions, and how much you regret the way I've reacted to your absence all these years. You both obviously know how to love others from the sacrifices you've made to help them. But, how did you _know_ you were in love with _each other_? I'm guessing it takes _a lot_ of time to put together such intense feelings."

Miles and Stella shared a confused glance before turning to Arnold.

Stella said, "Oh, Sweetie. Unconditional love isn't something that you have to think about, you just _know_ it. I _knew_ when I loved Miles," she smiled at her husband.

Miles scratched his chin with his left hand in thought, and said, "Why are you asking that _question, son_? Does this have something to do with your girlfriend, Helga?"

Arnold nodded, "I care a _lot_ about her, and I _know_ she loves me, but I don't know if I love _her._ Is there an easy way to tell? I know she needs to hear the words from me and not just see my actions as proof of my feelings, but I don't want to lie about something so serious. When I _tell_ her my feelings, I want to _mean_ them."

Stella and Miles glanced at each other, smiling. Stella said to her son, putting her right arm on his shoulders, "Well, I knew I loved Miles when he fell off that cliff and I had to take care of his wounds in the jungle. Before then, I realized I cared _a lot_ about him, but afterwards, I _knew_ that I _never_ wanted to live without him."

Miles nodded as he glanced at his wife, "I would say that I realized it not long after Stella did. We were getting ready to fall down a waterfall. We were right on the edge when I looked into her eyes. That's when I realized I'd rather sacrifice _my_ life than watch her lose _hers._ I could stare into her eyes forever, and I realized that I wanted to _be_ with her forever that day." He started to get lost in her eyes as he was speaking about it.

Arnold paused a moment before saying, "So, if I wanted to sacrifice my _life_ for Helga or I realized at some point that I couldn't live _without_ her, then I probably love her?"

Stella smiled, "Sweetie, love means different things for different people. Love also takes on different _extremes._ You don't _have_ to sacrifice your life to realize you love somebody. Sometimes it's about what you'll do for them for _their_ benefit instead of _yours._ Sometimes it's wanting to be physically close."

Miles spoke as he daydreamed, "…Wanting to give your life for them, wanting to live with them the rest of your life, refusing to let them experience any pain. That's what real love is about," He smiled again at his wife. She smiled back affectionately, reaching for his hand across from Arnold.

Arnold thought to himself about all the things his parents said.

 _Just like my mom and_ _dad almost lost their lives in that waterfall, Helga and I almost lost our lives falling off that_ _bridge in San Lorenzo. I felt bad because our lives were going to end before I could tell her my feelings. I guess that's when I realized I_ _had_ _feelings for her, but were they love when I looked in her eyes or was I concerned because I didn't get the chance to tell her I cared? For her benefit, I refused to have sex with her all these months. I didn't do it because of_ _me_ _, I did it because of_ _her_ _. I sacrificed my wants for her needs, but is that_ _love_ _? I would_ _still_ _give everything I have for her not to be homeless. I would live with her the rest of my_ _life_ _if I had to, even if I dealt with this spell_ _forever_ _. I want to be with her_ _physically_ _, but is that love or lust?_

He looked up at his dad to ask aloud, _"_ Isn't wanting to be physically close to somebody _lust?_ How can the physical _possibly_ be mixed with a feeling as deep as _love?_ Aren't they different?"

Miles and Stella let go of each other's hands. Miles smiled at his wife, remembering past times of their affections. He said to Arnold, "A lot of times when you want to be physically close to somebody, _that's_ because you _love_ them. Lust is wanting to be physically close _without_ caring about the person. I hope you _never_ feel lust for anyone, Arnold."

Arnold bit his bottom lip as he asked, "So, it's normal for me to feel physical urges when I'm around my girlfriend? I could still be in love with her, even while I'm physically attracted to her?"

Stella laughed at the question, " _Yes!_ That's _completely_ normal at your age, Sweetie! I can't _count_ the number of times Miles and I were both tempted to give into physical temptations before we were married. I was a virgin, but it didn't help make things _any_ easier for us. When you're in love with somebody, you _want_ to be that close, but we wanted to do things right and wait until the time was right for those physical affections."

Miles admitted to his son, "I wasn't a virgin when I married your mother. I had one previous relationship before her and I made a mistake, but those mistakes developed me into a more responsible, caring person. I knew what the _right_ thing to do with your mother was, and I wanted to give her _everything_. I wanted our physical relationship to be _special._ It was difficult to wait at times, but we managed to wait until we got married before we started _that_ part of our relationship."

Stella put her left hand into her son's left hand, "Every relationship is different. You'll know when the time is right to start those things, Sweetie."

Arnold asked his mother, "But is making love with somebody even _possible_ to do instead of having sex when you're physically attracted to each other?"

Miles nodded, " _Of course_ it is. You'll know the difference when the time comes, don't worry."

Arnold took a glance up the stairs as he thought about his sleeping girlfriend. It was _then_ he realized his feelings. He admitted to his parents, in a shaky whisper, "I _know_ I'm in love with her now, but how do I _tell_ her? Suddenly, I'm nervous."

Stella laughed as she hugged her son, "Aw, Sweetie. It's completely _normal_ to feel nervous about admitting your feelings to her if you've never _told_ her about them."

Miles laughed as well, "Just go upstairs, wake her up, and tell her that you love her. It will probably make her day!"

Stella said, "I can tell that she loves you too, Sweetie. She wouldn't have sacrificed her life _or_ her locket for us if she didn't."

Miles added, "I don't think she would've lived here so long either. You both have put up with _a lot_ from each other this past year. Living together is never easy."

Arnold took a deep shaky breath, "You're right. I need to tell her my feelings. I'm going to tell her, right now. She _needs_ to know." With those thoughts, Stella and Miles watched Arnold get up and run up the stairs. They got up from the couch and put their arms around each other's shoulders with smiles on their faces, remembering their younger days when they were deep in love.

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Arnold opened his room door and walked in, then shut it forcefully. He wanted to get this part over with. He was shaking _so_ badly, and his hands were sweaty. How had he _not_ told her his feelings yet?

Helga sat up quickly from Arnold's bed, looking around in panic at the loud noise. She noticed her boyfriend, standing in front of the door with his hands behind his back, looking at her nervously. She said to him with irritation, "What's your _deal?_ Where the heck's the _fire?_ Criminy, why do you have to be so _loud_ when I'm trying to take a nap?! After living with me for seven months, I would _think_ you _knew_ how to be _quiet_ when someone in your room is trying to _sleep_ _!"_ She held her head with her left hand.

Arnold gulped at her beauty, even just waking up she was beautiful. How did Helga make this part look so easy? How was she even _able_ to say the words, something he knew he couldn't do in the past. He wanted her to know that he loved her, but his heart was racing, and his legs felt like they were going to collapse and cause his body to hit the ground. He was also worried he wouldn't be able to say the words _again,_ and _now_ he _knew_ the physical reactions his body was making weren't just _lust._ He choked on his words, "I—I've got to t—talk to you H—Helga. This is _really, really,_ important, and I'm a little nervous."

Her head was _already_ hurting from the noise and now Arnold wasn't making any sense! She groaned, "Well, make it _quick,_ Bucko. You've already given me a headache this afternoon and I'm starving to death! I want to go downstairs and get something to eat!"

He played with his fingers nervously as he looked back into her deep blue eyes. _So_ beautiful. As she got off the bed and walked in front of him, crossing her arms, he could feel his heart skipping beats, not just from being physically _excited_ but from being _in love._ He tried not to look down at her legs _or_ into her deep eyes as he admitted to her, looking away, "Listen, I talked with my parents, and I just realized that I—"

Suddenly, the phone in Arnold's room rang loudly. Arnold groaned and hit his head with his left hand as Helga rushed past him. She turned to her boyfriend swiftly, saying to him, "It's probably _Ol-ga_. Answer it for me and remind her that I don't _do_ weekends on the phone! I'm going downstairs to get a bite to eat!" She walked out and shut the door.

Arnold watched the door shut, feeling even _more_ defeated. The one chance to tell Helga that he loved her, and he blew it.

The phone was still ringing in his room. After taking one more deep breath, he slowly walked over to the phone beside his red couch. He sat on the couch and answered the phone as he said weakly to the person on the other end, "Hello?"

Olga's perky voice spoke on the other line, "Oh, Arnold! What a _wonderful_ opportunity to speak with you! I need to talk with Helga, it's important."

Arnold sighed as he ran his shaky left hand through his hair, his nerves starting to calm down, but his heart was still beating fast. He said, "Helga made her way downstairs to get something to eat, and I don't think she wants to talk on the phone right now. Is there any way you could leave her a message with me?"

Olga started to explain, "Unfortunately, this is something I need to talk with her about privately. Her mother is doing _much_ better, and Susie and I are settled into our new apartment."

Arnold said to her, "That's _great,_ Olga! I'm happy for you."

She said to him, "And I'm happy for you _, too,_ Arnold. The graduation speech you gave yesterday was _wonderful._ It made me realize I was caught in an endless cycle with Robert, a cycle that needed to be broken. The only way it was able to happen was for him to go to jail. You encouraged me to continue to get my life together, even though I miss him. I need to continue to focus on others' needs above my own wants, and not get back in touch with him when he gets out of prison."

He shrugged, "I was just discussing what I've been through. It was nothing but getting _a lot_ of stuff off my chest, but I'm glad that I was able to motivate you."

Olga paused a moment before saying, "I guess I should be irritated with you for doing that kind of stuff in the same environment that my sister is living, but _you're_ the one who gave her a place to stay in the first place, and I know my little sister would tell me if she was having problems living with you. It must have taken _a lot_ of self-control not to give in physically with her, after looking at pornography. I feel bad because even _I_ gave into sexual temptations with _Robert._ I lost my _virginity_ to him after all these years of saving it for the right person. I really thought he was the right person, Arnold. I feel like I've stained the Pataki's reputation from my past mistake."

He said to her, "Let _go_ of those decisions you've made and move on. You're a _wonderful_ person, Olga, and so much _more_ than that. Don't let losing your innocence define you as a person. Take it as a learning opportunity, _not_ a mistake."

"That's a wise way of looking at it. Okay, so I _won't_ call it a mistake anymore. I'll use it as a learning opportunity," She paused a moment, "So, where is my baby sister right now? Will I be able to stop over in a couple weeks to see her in person?"

He admitted, "She told me yesterday that she was going over to Phoebe's tonight. You can try to catch her before she leaves today."

Olga thought a moment before saying, "I suppose I can wait a bit to tell her the news if she's busy. Are you doing okay, Arnold? I realize I haven't spoken to you much recently in your own struggles, even at the graduation ceremony _._ How are things living with my baby sister? Is she being a good tenant?"

Arnold admitted nervously, playing with the phone cord roughly, "Things are alright, I suppose, and Helga is being a good tenant, but I feel _so_ bad because I haven't been the best boyfriend to her lately, and I haven't gotten the chance to tell her that I love her."

Olga screamed with glee, making Arnold bring the phone away from his ear at the loud noise and let go of the phone cord. As he brought the phone back to his ear cautiously, he heard her say to him, excitedly, "You _love_ my baby sister? Aw, Arnold, that's just so _precious!_ That's so _sweet!_ Aw, puppy love! I remember that when I was your age! When did you first realize that you _loved_ her?"

He sighed, "To be honest, I realized it before you called, but I haven't gotten the chance to tell her—"

"—You _must_ tell her, Arnold," she said, sternly. "Tell her that you love her. She needs to hear it from _you_ more than _anyone else._ Show her how important she is to you!"

He was nervous all over again just _thinking_ about confessing his feelings to her, but he knew what he needed to do. He gulped, "Alright. Well, I better go downstairs and tell her, then, and let her know that you called. It was great speaking with you today. I'm glad things are looking up." With those words, Arnold hung up the phone before waiting for a goodbye from Olga and walked over to his bedroom door to open it. He made his way downstairs, feeling weak in the knees. Was it _normal_ to feel so _weak_ being in love? Helga _made_ him weak, and now he knew the feeling wasn't just sexual. Just as he was walking down the steps, his girlfriend was running up. He stopped at the same time she did, a step above her. He looked at her as she looked at him, quizzically. He said to her in surprise, "You finished dinner _already?_ I didn't even realize my parents _made_ dinner that fast." His hands were _already_ shaking, and he hadn't even _told_ her his feelings yet.

Helga rolled her eyes, "There _is_ such a thing called a _snack, doi!_ Now, if you don't mind, I'm going upstairs to call Phoebs. Whatever you've got to tell me is going to have to _wait."_

Arnold put his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from running up the steps. He took a breath, "Wait! Um, your sister told me that I needed to tell you something. It's important."

She groaned as she grabbed his arms with her hands to move them away from her. She was _dying_ to head over to Phoebe's house and start the summer. Couldn't he see that she needed time _away_ from him? She said to him, "Why would you tell _Mary Sunshine_ anything? Don't you know she can't keep _secrets?"_

As Helga ran up the steps, he followed her up like a lost puppy dog. She ran in his room and sat down on the red couch, grabbing the phone beside his couch.

He said to her in a rush, "Well, it's not _going_ to be a secret for _much_ longer because I want to tell you the secret _now."_ He shut his door as he walked over to her. " _Please,_ just _listen_ to me a couple minutes."

She was barely paying attention to him, "Whatever it is you want to say about not being physical, hurry it up because _I've_ got a phone call to make. It's probably nothing you haven't _already_ told me anyway."

He walked over to her, his whole being was _trembling._ He sat down on the left of her and said, "It's about the _emotional_ part of our relationship, _not_ the physical. There's been something that's been on my mind for the last hour that I _need_ to talk with you about. I've probably needed to tell you it ever since we came back from San Lorenzo. Either way, I'm ready to tell you now."

She had to laugh as she put the phone down on the receiver and crossed her arms. She already had a feeling what he was _trying_ to say. She looked at him, "Good luck getting the _words_ out without reacting _physically,_ Bucko." She looked directly at him, waiting impatiently.

"I'm _not_ going to react physically to what I'm going to tell you. Not when it's so _important_." He grabbed both of her hands gently, squeezing them.

She was getting aggravated. Couldn't he stop rambling and just _say_ what was on his mind? Why did he always have to make a big speech about it? She said in a rush, "Well tell me already, we're burning daylight!"

He put both of his hands on her shoulders, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath. He opened his eyes to look into her blue eyes and gulped. He _knew_ he needed to make this special for her, but _how?_ He whispered heatedly, "Helga, living with you and putting up with you for years has been one experience, but it's taught me _a lot_ and it's made me realize even _more._ More than anything, I realize now that I've probably, always—"

And then, there was a loud knock on his room door that interrupted his sentence. Helga raised her left eyebrow at her boyfriend. He let go of her shoulders and hit his left hand on his head, frustrated about being interrupted _again._

She said to him, irritated, "Expecting someone to _interrupt_ us, Bucko?"

He groaned, "But I'm not expecting _anyone!"_

He heard his grandpa's voice on the other side of his door, "Can I come in a second, Shortman? Your two little friends are here to see you."

Arnold glanced at Helga, " _What_ two friends? Nobody is supposed to _be_ here right now."

As Phil opened Arnold's door, Gerald and Phoebe walked inside Arnold's room, uninvited. They both waved at him, with soft smiles on their faces. They had no _clue_ what they interrupted.

Helga jumped up from the couch excitedly, walking over to grab Phoebe's left hand and lead her out the door. She said to her, " _Finally! Now_ we're getting somewhere! Come on, Phoebs, let's go down to the river and throw rocks before it gets _any_ later." Helga dragged her best friend downstairs. They both were running to the front door.

Arnold ran over to his room door and yelled to Helga as she was running down the steps, "Wait a minute, Helga. What about what I wanted to _tell_ you? Wasn't _that_ important, _too?"_

She yelled to him, "Tell me later, Football Head, I'll be back on Monday!" She yelled while running outside, "Summer vacation, here I come. Nightmare on Elm street, I'm out of here!" she laughed.

Phoebe couldn't help but giggle at Helga's reaction to getting out of the boarding house and away from Arnold.

Arnold crossed his arms as he heard the downstairs door slam, and then turned around to narrow his eyes at his best friend. Fifty percent of the reason that he _still_ couldn't confess his feelings to Helga was because of _him._ He was irritated.

Gerald noticed his best friend's narrowed eyes immediately, "Man, what's _with_ you? Aren't you _happy_ to see me? Has hanging out with Helga _so_ much caused you to start _looking_ and _acting_ like her now? _That_ is a scary sight, my friend. A _scary_ sight."

Arnold leaned against his door, shutting it with his back. He groaned, "I understand why _Phoebe_ visited, but why are _you_ here? You guys aren't even _dating_!"

Gerald walked over to his best friend, "What do you mean? I can't come over with Phoebe to visit my _best friend?"_

Arnold explained as he walked back over to the red couch, "There's no reason for you to be _with_ her. There _has_ to be _another_ reason you're here that has _nothing_ to _do_ with Phoebe, unless you're trying to get back with her or something," he took a glance at him, full of curiosity.

Gerald walked over to sit down on the red couch on the left, next to Arnold. He held out his hands, feeling defeated, "Okay, I'll confess. After that big speech you did in front of the sixth graders yesterday, I realized if you were willing to take the risks admitting you had a pornography addiction, _I_ should be willing to take the risks physically with Phoebe. That took a lot of guts yesterday, Arnold. I want to follow in your example and take the risks as well."

Arnold raised his left eyebrow, "Wait a minute, let me get this straight: _you_ want _me_ to get you back together with your _ex-girlfriend?_ That's up to you and Phoebe. I can't help you."

Gerald groaned, he didn't want to explain the reasons they broke up, but he knew he _had_ to, "That's _not_ what I'm trying to do. Of _course,_ I want to get back together with Phoebe. She's a wonderful gal, but she's _not_ going to get back together with me unless I decide on something. I would like you to help me make a decision regarding that _something_."

Arnold sighed, "Well, you ruined the moment between Helga and I, so you might as well tell me what decision you need help making."

Gerald whispered to him, embarrassed, "Should I start a physical relationship with Phoebe like you've started with Helga? I mean, I wouldn't ask the question, but Phoebe seems ambitious on starting a relationship like that. Our lack of a physical relationship was _most_ of the reason we broke up a couple months ago." He looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

Arnold blinked in surprise, not knowing how to answer his question, "Gerald, I _can't_ decide for you whether or not you should be with Phoebe _physically,_ _that's_ a decision that _you_ have to make on your _own._ Each relationship is different."

Gerald sighed as he looked back up, "Well, can you tell me if it's _worth it_ or not? I mean, would the risks that I'm taking with Phoebe be worth it in the future? Does the physical side of a relationship mean _anything_ _at all?_ Do you _still_ have the feelings that are loving and romantic, even with the physical stuff, or is it all just _lust_ with you and Helga _?_ If it's all just lust, I would say _no_ to getting back with Phoebe, because it's all liable to translate into _disaster."_

Arnold said to his best friend, putting his left hand by his heart, "I _love_ her, Gerald. Her life matters to me more than _anything,_ but my decisions in love don't factor into how you feel about _Phoebe. You_ have to decide for _yourself_ whether or not you love her, and if your physical relationship will mean anything to _you_ _,"_ he said, repeating the words that Doctor Bliss said to him, and remembering what his parents talked with him about.

Gerald said, "Man, I hate it when you're right. I just—" he blinked, and then looked at Arnold in shock, "What? Did you just say that you _love_ Helga G. Pataki? _Man,_ I guess I shouldn't expect anything _less_ since you've been _living_ together for seven months, but you've _never_ told me you've felt like _that_ before, for _anyone._ When did you plan on telling her your feelings?"

Arnold admitted, "As soon as I get the time to be alone with her, but everything's been interrupting me today and she's on the run."

Gerald put his arm on his best friend's shoulders, reassuringly, "I wouldn't rush it. You've got your whole _life_ to tell Helga that you love her, _especially_ if you plan on _living_ with her for the rest of it."

Arnold groaned, holding his head with his right hand, "Isn't this about you and _Phoebe?_ Because I'd _really_ like to get on with my day and put aside my losses from all the missed opportunities I've had to tell her my feelings."

Gerald could only stare in shock, "You are certainly a _grump_ today, Buddy. Are you _sure_ living with Helga is good for your mental health?"

Arnold ignored those comments and gave him the advice he needed to hear, "If Phoebe _really_ wants the physical stuff in a relationship, maybe you _should_ sacrifice your wants for her needs _._ A relationship is about sacrifices."

"What about _Helga? Obviously,_ she's been demanding _it_ from _you_ for _ages,_ and you won't _give_ it to her. Does _that_ mean you're not willing to sacrifice your _love_ for _her?"_

Arnold was frustrated, "How would you even _know_ that? I haven't _told_ you anything _about_ my and Helga's physical relationship, so how would _you_ know that she even _wanted_ a physical relationship with me like that?"

Gerald sighed, "It's _obvious._ The way she looks and acts around you _makes_ it obvious, but she's told me on a few occasions how frustrated she is with you putting the chains on the physical stuff. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put everything together."

Arnold sighed, frustrated, "But, why would she tell _you_ all of that, and not me? If she wanted to _make love_ , wouldn't _I_ be the _first_ person she would admit that to _?"_

Gerald shrugged, "I don't know. That girl can be complicated, but maybe she didn't know _how_ to tell you. I've started to enjoy talking to her once I saw her as a _girl._ Her bossy side isn't all it's cracked up to be and you're right, she's okay deep down. Anyway, you say I should sacrifice my wants for Phoebe's needs, but maybe _you_ need to practice what you're preaching in your _own_ relationship."

Arnold tried to explain his reasoning to his best friend, " _That_ kind of physical relationship starts the _deeper_ things. Even if you're just kissing and hugging, those kinds of things start a sexual relationship. You could regret it the rest of your life if you don't have a physical relationship with her, then again, you might regret it if you _do. I've_ been holding back because I don't want to regret moving forward. It's also a serious decision to make. What if she gets pregnant?"

Gerald looked at him, "But you _love_ her, right? I mean, it's obvious you want to jump her so I'm not even going to ask if you're physically attracted to her. Most of the time, you look like a lion trying to get out of its cage with nowhere to hide. You're just walking around, waiting for the feelings to go away. They're _not_ going to go away. You've said so _yourself._ I mean, how long have you been feeling this way?"

Gerald's comments caused Arnold to think a bit to himself.

 _Gerald makes a good point._ _Why_ _haven't_ _I made love with her? It's obvious tha_ _t both her and I_ _want_ _to, and we both_ _do_ _love each other so—_

Gerald said to him, interrupting his thoughts, "—So, I should just give in, take the risks, and see where it leads us, right?"

Arnold was still deep in his own thoughts about Gerald's last comments as he replied, "Yeah, Gerald. I guess taking the risks is the _best_ thing to do."

Gerald got up to walk out of the room, his decision regarding Phoebe was made, "Great! That's all I need to know, Buddy. Thanks!" Before he walked out of the room, he turned to Arnold, who looked like he was in another world. Gerald said to him, worried, "Hey, are you all right? You kind of blanked out for a second."

Arnold nodded as he turned to Gerald, "Yeah, I'm fine. I might spend the night at Mighty Pete tonight while Helga's staying with Phoebe."

Gerald smiled slightly, "You really _are_ in love with her, aren't you, Arnold?"

Arnold closed his eyes, trying to think _rationally_. He was _already_ thinking about sex again, " _That,_ and I don't need to be doing stuff I shouldn't be doing without her around. If I do _anything,_ it _needs_ to be with _her."_

Gerald knew what he was talking about, and shrugged, "Well, if you want to get rid of any magazines you have lying around, you know where I live."

Arnold groaned, " _Gerald..."_

Gerald smirked at Arnold as he started to shut the door, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding man, _relax."_ He shut the door, letting his best friend get dressed to go out.

* * *

 **Monday June 13th, afternoon** **.**

Helga walked in the boarding house a couple days later with a smile on her face. Her time with Phoebe was _just_ the thing she needed after all the torturous time she'd been spending in close quarters with Arnold.

Arnold was waiting for her on the living room couch and his arms were crossed when she walked in. After she shut the door, he said to her, frustrated, "I thought you told me that you were going to be home by Monday _morning;_ it's Monday _evening."_

Helga looked at her boyfriend, raising her left eyebrow, "Get a grip, _Goof-Wad._ Have you _really_ been living with me _so_ long that two days away from me is too much for you to handle?"

He stood up and walked over to her, "Isn't it _normal_ for boyfriends to miss their girlfriends while they're away? You're my _whole world,_ Helga!"

For some reason, those words caused Helga to stop walking, right in the middle of the living room floor. She blinked in surprise. He _missed_ her, he _really_ _missed_ her! She sighed love-sickly, stopping herself from swooning. He held out his right hand to grab her left hand. He said to her in a whisper, pulling her up the stairs with desired urgency, "I want to spend some time with you alone. It's been _too_ long."

She smirked as Arnold rushed her up the steps, " _Sheesh,_ Arnold, do you realize how you _look_ and _sound_ right now? And don't you _think_ it's a _bad_ idea to say that kind of stuff with your parents and the other boarders wandering around this place? They already _know_ what kind of stuff you've been thinking about _doing_ with me, no thanks to your little _speech_ last week. If you're going to _screw_ me, at least have the _decency_ not to do it _here_."

He pulled her in his room and shut the door harshly, locking it. He turned to her and sighed, "Why does _everything_ have to be about _sex_ with you? Maybe I just want to go up here and _talk._ Spend some time getting to _know_ each other."

She huffed as she crossed her arms, "Sounds like you just want _sex_ to me, Bucko. G _etting to know each other_? _Please!_ Is _that_ some sort of new _code_ word for us?"

He sighed as he gave up trying to explain his actions to her. Sometimes he thought _she_ was the one with the spell on _her_. Of course, he was _excited,_ but he wanted to do _so_ much more than have _sex_ with her. He walked over to his stereo and turned it on. He pulled out a jazz CD from the shelf underneath it and put it inside the CD player. He turned around to look at Helga just as the soft music started playing. He walked in front of her and held out his left hand to her. He whispered nervously, "Can we dance?"

Helga's eyes widened in surprise at his romantic behavior. She looked at him in shock, "Dance? Wait a minute, you're not going to throw me into a _pool,_ are you?" she laughed nervously.

He grabbed both of her hands to entwine them into his tenderly. He whispered back, "You're not pretending to be _blind_ tonight, are you?"

She held his hands as she started to sway to the music with him, and admitted, "What about all the ' _We're_ _too close'_ crap you been preaching the past couple months? I mean, you didn't _want_ to get close to me. Isn't _dancing_ as bad as being _physical?_ It's a physical _activity,_ right? You're going against everything you've ever said!"

He sighed slightly, "As I've said to you before, I _want_ to get close to you. Believe me when I say this: I _want_ you, _badly_. My feelings for you shouldn't be based on the physical stuff, though. There's a reason I'm being _so_ careful with your body, and the reason is because I _care_ for you. I _want_ you, but I want you at the right _time."_

She started to increase the swaying, as she let go of his hands and put her hands behind his neck, "Wouldn't be a _bad_ thing if you lost control at the _wrong_ time. I'm still on _birth control_ , _remember?"_

He said to her hoarsely, putting his hands on her hips gently, "You _really_ don't have much faith in me, do you? It's either _that_ or you've been trying to tempt me to give in this whole _time,_ which wouldn't surprise me, given how much you _tease_ me all the time." He breathed harshly before he whispered to her, "Sometimes I don't _understand_ why I've been holding back continuing a physical relationship with you. Just looking into your eyes, I feel _so_ many things that it's _hard_ not to express them with just _words._ Maybe _that's_ why I've only expressed my feelings _physically_ to you so far."

She laughed as they both started to move in a circle, "Well, you're _horny,_ Arnoldo. You obviously still have that stupid _spell_ on you that's unbreakable unless we figure out what it is you're supposed to _do."_

Arnold thought a moment before saying, "Maybe it's not something that I have to _do,_ but it's something that I have to _say,_ and _maybe_ it's something that I should have told you a long _time_ ago. Maybe it's something that's been developing slowly throughout the years we've been together, only now, it's much _deeper_ and _stronger_ than it was before."

She watched his eyes curiously as he spun her around and stared into hers deeply. Something was _different_ about him, but she didn't know _what._ Helga was starting to wonder if the words he was going to say were the words she had been waiting for him to say her _whole life!_ She whispered, "What have you been trying to tell me?"

He whispered, "I don't want to say a few words to you and that's it. I want this to _mean_ something. I want this to be _just_ as meaningful as all our _other_ moments together have been throughout the years," he breathed. "You're beautiful. So gorgeous."

She started to blush, "I am? I mean, _really?"_

He admitted, "Inside and out, you're _beautiful._ You fit so _perfectly_ into my hands, and my life. It's no _wonder_ that we _dance_ so well together, that we _fit_ so well together." His body was shaking with _more_ than just nerves, he could _feel_ it, but he pushed the feelings aside to focus on _her._ He was doing this for _her._

She breathed nervously, her cheeks still red, "Well, opposites attract, what did you _expect?"_

He said, huskily, "It's more than _that_ now, Helga, and you _know_ it's more than that. You know I've always felt a deep connection to you, even when we were toddlers. I'm _so_ sorry that it's taken me _this_ long to realize it, but to be fair, you _do_ have a lustful spell on me that has contributed to _a lot_ of my confusion. Maybe if I didn't feel all the lust, I would be able to see the _other_ feelings more clearly. Maybe if I felt that love from my parents a long _time_ ago, I could have been able to define the feelings I've always felt around _you."_

She said, feeling lightheaded, _"_ Whatever you're trying to say, _tell me already."_

He whispered, "I'd do _anything_ for you, sacrifice _all_ of myself, put my _needs_ to the side, you're that _important_ to me."

She whispered harshly, getting impatient, "Spit it out, would you!"

Arnold pulled her closer to whisper into her left ear, "Helga, I lo—"

And then, the phone rang, interrupting the rest of what Arnold was going to say.

They pulled away from each other, both blinking in surprise. Helga growled, and Arnold sighed deeply, both were frustrated.

He looked at her with regret, the moment was ruined.

She huffed, stomping over to his room door, "Forget it, Football Head. I _knew_ your feelings were _too_ good to be true. You've never said them _before,_ why would you say them _now?!"_ With those words, she stomped out of his room and slammed the door.

Arnold sat down on the red couch and answered the phone. He said sternly to the person on the other line, "Whoever this is, this _better_ be important. I was _just_ getting ready to tell Helga that I _love_ her."

On the other line, he heard a gasp of surprise. Doctor Bliss's voice spoke up, "I'm _so_ sorry to hear that I interrupted something so major _._ When did you realize your feelings for her, Arnold?"

He sighed as he tried to calm down, "On Saturday when I talked with my parents. After I realized how much my parents love me _and_ each other, I was able to define what love was for _me_ and then I put together my feelings for Helga." He paused a moment before he asked, "Why are you calling right now, Doctor Bliss? Is something wrong?"

She said, "I wanted to check on you after hearing your speech the other day. I'm proud of you for being honest with everyone about your experiences. The things that you admitted are _not_ easy for most people to talk about. It must have been difficult for you to admit."

He nodded, "It _was_ , but I knew I couldn't move forward until I was willing to own up to my failures as a _person._ It was difficult, but I'm glad that I was truthful. My words needed to be said, and more importantly, it's made it possible for me to say something _far_ more important."

She said, "What did you have planned for your summer vacation?"

He thought a moment before saying, "Well, Rhonda invited Helga and me to her graduation party this coming Saturday, so I guess that will be the first thing we'll do this summer."

She suggested to him, "Why don't you confess your feelings for Helga at the party? I think that would be a romantic way for you to show her your feelings."

He chanced a smile, "You know what, Doctor Bliss? I think you're right."

* * *

 **Saturday June 18th, evening** **.**

Lila and Arnold were in the guest room at the punch bowl, talking about stuff. Arnold's girlfriend just went to the bathroom and so did Lila's date, Stinky. Lila was wearing her regular sixth grade outfit and carrying a small light brown pocketbook. Arnold was wearing a black suit and a light blue tie, the same outfit he wore at the April Fool's Day dance in the fifth grade.

Lila turned to Arnold and said, "—I can't thank you _enough_ for encouraging Stinky to ask me out to Rhonda's party. It was an ever so thoughtful idea. I've _always_ cared for Stinky, but I never knew that he liked me the way I liked him. That was generous and kind-hearted of you to consider us."

Arnold shrugged as he poured himself some punch in a red cup. He said to her, "It was no big deal. It's better to take the risks in a relationship and admit your feelings than to not take any risks _at all._ I've learned that in my relationship with Helga."

She bent towards him, "Speaking of risks, Arnold. That speech that you gave at the graduation ceremony was _very_ risky. I know most of the girls don't appreciate what you said up there, but I'm proud of you for being honest with everyone about your failures. It's not at all easy to take those chances."

He smiled, "Thanks, Lila. I appreciate that."

Arnold and Lila stood next to each other and drank from their punch cups in content silence. A moment later, she asked, "So, how is your relationship with Helga going? You're the longest lasting couple at P.S. 118, after Phoebe and Gerald's breakup. Being in a different class all year, I haven't been able to ask you about your relationship."

He nodded, "Helga and I are doing good, but I don't think she realizes I love her. I still need to tell her my feelings."

Lila blinked in surprise as she looked at him, "Goodness, Arnold, you've been living with her _so_ long and you haven't told her that you _love_ her yet? I would take care of that as soon as possible. She probably needs to hear the words as much as you need to _admit_ them."

He glanced around the living room a moment, before asking her, "Where would be the _best_ opportunity to tell Helga my feelings? I don't want to confess around other people. I want us to be alone. The moment needs to be _perfect."_

Lila nodded over to the outside, "Go on Rhonda's balcony with Helga and talk with her _there._ I'm sure that would give you both plenty of time to be by yourselves. Also, it's a romantic place for you to confess your love, with all the pretty _stars_ in the sky."

He smiled at her, "Thanks, Lila. I think I'm going to do that. It's been great talking with you tonight. We'll have to talk some more soon."

She nodded, "Likewise, Arnold, and I'm _so_ glad to hear that you and Helga are doing well. Hopefully we'll have some classes together next year and all three of us can talk some more."

As Lila walked away to find Stinky, Arnold took notice that the balcony was empty of everybody but Patti and Harold, who were slow dancing. He looked around Rhonda's mansion for a couple of seconds, trying to find Helga. He saw her in the kitchen, eating snacks from the table. She was wearing the same outfit she did when they went on their dinner for four together with Phoebe and Gerald, but without the gloves.

He smiled as he walked over and into the kitchen, eager to confess his undying love for her. He grabbed her right hand to pull her away from the snacks and dragged her out of the kitchen. He whispered, "Come on, let's go to the balcony. I have something I need to tell you."

Helga groaned as her boyfriend pulled her into the guest room with desired urgency, "You have _nerve,_ Bucko, and some of the _worst_ timing. Haven't you ever heard the saying ' _the_ _way to a woman's heart is through her_ _stomach_ '? Why do I want to go _star gazing_ when I can _eat_ off Rhonda's rich snack platter?"

He had to laugh at her words, "So, you care more about Rhonda's _snacks_ than you do about _me?_ Let's be _serious,_ Helga. There's something important that I need to say, and it's _way_ overdue." He continued to pull her until they were outside on the balcony.

As they walked on the balcony, they heard soft music in the distance. Harold and Patti stopped slow dancing when they noticed Arnold and Helga walking towards them. Harold and Patti were dressed up the way they usually were at one of Rhonda's parties. Harold was wearing a black suit and Patti had on a blue dress.

Arnold let go of Helga's right hand hesitantly as he walked over to Harold. Helga crossed her arms and tapped her left foot, waiting for her boyfriend to finish the conversation she was _guessing_ he was going to have with the other couple.

Arnold approached Harold, and said to him, "I'm glad to see that your relationship is working out."

Harold remembered their talk during graduation and said to him, "It's great, Arnold. Thanks again for everything."

Patti smiled at Arnold as she said, "Did you want some time alone out here with your girlfriend? Harold and I were just getting ready to go in and grab some food."

Harold's eyes lit up at the mention of _food_ , and Patti smiled at him knowingly. She grabbed his hand again to lead him into the kitchen. Arnold gave Patti a smile of gratitude as he walked back over to Helga.

He walked in front of her and reached for both of her hands with his own. He entwined their fingers together. No matter how many times he grabbed her soft warm hands, the gentle affections never got old for him. He would hold her hands _forever_ if he had to, _just_ to keep her by his side. He slowly brought his right hand away from her left hand, to put it around her back. He squeezed his left hand against her right hand affectionately. He whispered, "I think _now_ is the _perfect_ time to talk to you and tell you what's on my mind."

Helga looked at him a moment, clueless, "What's on your mind?"

As a new soft song started to play on the outside radio, he lined his feet up with hers, and started to slow dance with her to a gentle beat. She caught on quickly. He said to her, in a whisper, "You've always been _amazing_ at dancing."

She said to him with a shrug, "We've done enough physical stuff for it to be _natural_ by now."

He smiled, and with the next step, he pulled her left hand closer to him as he pulled her body around, to turn her slowly around in a circle to the right.

She was breathless as she looked into her boyfriend's green eyes. It did nothing to calm down her _own_ nerves. He was slow dancing with her on the balcony of Rhonda's mansion. There was beautiful soft music playing on the radio, and they were all alone. This was better than her _wildest dreams_! She hesitantly spoke to him, "You—you're not too bad yourself." She was feeling breathless. _Nothing_ could be better than _this._

After he brought her around in a circle once, he whispered to her, "Maybe I just found the right _dance_ partner."

Helga whispered back, "You've _always_ had me, Hair-boy. _Always."_

He took a deep breath with a pause. He slowly brought his girlfriend around the _other_ way, _this_ time, pushing her right hand back as he pulled her left shoulder towards him, to turn her to the left. How could something as simple as dancing cause him to feel physically _excited?_ He needed to focus on _her,_ and his _love_ filled feelings, _not_ his hormones. He focused on the sounds of the music in the background, and the lovestruck look in his girlfriend's deep blue eyes.

They started to move their feet faster as the beat of the music started to increase. They were able to keep up with each other, almost as if they rehearsed the routine a million times. She admitted to him, "You know, we could dance like this all night long, but something tells me that's not what you pulled me on the balcony for."

He squeezed her left hand affectionately as he brought his right hand against the middle of her back, pulling her body against his, so that she could rest her head on his left shoulder as he was spinning her around. He whispered, trying to untense his nerves, "Glide, step, touch. Glide, step, touch."

He felt her chuckle against his chest, which did nothing but make him _tenser_. She whispered in his right ear with a smirk, "Geez, Football Head, are you actually _nervous?_ You know we've done this dance a million times."

He pulled her closer as he whispered, "But this is a _different_ type of dance, isn't it?"

She breathed nervously as he ran his right hand down the small of her back gently. She whispered back, "It sure _feels_ different. What's changed?"

He whispered to her nervously, " _I've_ changed, and my feelings have too. How could you keep your feelings a secret from me for _six years?_ I could barely manage _one."_

Helga's breath caught in her throat in shock and her eyes widened as she pulled back from Arnold's embrace to look at him. Arnold put his left hand in her right hand again. He put his right hand against her left shoulder as he whispered, "I'm in _love_ with you, Helga. I'd do _anything_ for you _. Anything."_ He leaned in, his quivering lips met hers in a tender kiss. He started to dance with her in his arms while they were kissing, spinning her around to the left as he took the kiss even _deeper,_ bringing his tongue into her mouth and frenching her passionately. He was completely focused and getting lost in the moment. To him, there was nobody at that party but _her._

She was on cloud nine, maybe cloud _ten._ Arnold just said the words she had been longing to hear from him since the age of _three._ She was feeling faint and lightheaded, and if he wasn't holding her up, she was _sure_ that she would've fainted from his words _and_ the kiss. How was she still standing? It felt like they were going around in circles, spinning like one of those carnival rides. She didn't expect him to return her feelings. She thought it was impossible for someone to love her unconditionally.

He forced himself to slowly pull his lips away from hers. He wanted to continue, but he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable with everyone in the mansion. He smiled at her, her eyes were closed, and a blissful smile was on her face. She looked peaceful.

She whispered to him, completely awestruck, "You love me. You _really_ love me."

He said, running his left hand over her face softly, "I know I had feelings for you when we almost fell from the cliff in San Lorenzo. I was _so_ scared to lose you without telling you that I cared, and I would've regretted it the rest of my life if we had died."

She _had_ to ask, "Then, why did you tell me that you didn't love me a few months ago?"

He grabbed her hands to entwine them with his again, looking into her eyes, "Because I didn't think that I _did._ The spell that you put on me confused me. It made me believe that all I was feeling for you was _lust._ After talking with my parents, I learned that love isn't just a romantic feeling. Sometimes, it can be a physical longing as well."

She blinked. She wasn't sure _how_ she felt after hearing _that_ , "So, just because you're physically longing for me, you think that you _love_ me? I—I don't understand." She was worried he was confusing his feelings, or that his feelings were too good to be true.

He kissed her gently on the lip before he put his hands on her shoulders. After he broke the kiss, he pulled her into a gentle hug. He explained in a whisper, "Listen, the physical part is only a _small_ part of it. I wouldn't tell you I love you unless I _meant_ it." She pulled back cautiously and looked into his eyes, trying to find truth in what he was saying. He sensed that she didn't believe him for some reason, and he said to her in a breath, "I would do _anything_ for you, Helga! I would live with you in my room, yelling and screaming all day just so you wouldn't go homeless. I would stay in a relationship with you, even after you threatened to end the relationship with me and forced me to stay away. Most of all, I would resist getting involved physically with you, because I care about you enough to put my _own_ wants aside for the sake of your _needs._ You wanted me, but without the chance of having children or going through any physical pain. I _spared_ you that, because I _love_ you. I'll _always_ love you, Helga. I couldn't walk away if I _tried._ If I did, I would come _crawling_ back. It's _you_ that I want, Helga. It will always _be_ you."

She was beyond breathless and started to choke on her air, tears rushing down her eyes and cheeks.

He gasped in fear and grabbed her hands, entwining them with his. He gently brought her over to some white patio chairs that were off to the side. After he made sure she was safely seated on the one to the left, he sat on the one to the right beside her and asked, "Is everything _alright_? Did I say something wrong?"

She continued to cry, but now, she was trying to stop from _laughing_ while crying. It didn't work. She said, "You think you said something _wrong? Criminy,_ you're a sap. Heck, _I'm_ a sap for even _crying_ about all this. _Sheesh!"_

He frowned, "You're _unhappy_ I told you that I love you? I'm sorry, Helga, but… it's _true!_ I mean, I wouldn't tell you those things unless they were _really_ how I _felt._ I couldn't take it back if I _wanted_ to, and I don't, because I know my feelings for you are _real,"_ he breathed harshly. The innocent look in her moist blue eyes caused his heart to skip a beat, again, "I—I don't know what you did to me, but I'm head over heels for you. I fell into something _much_ deeper than your spell. I fell into your _arms."_

She blinked in awe as she looked into his intense green eyes, tears were _still_ falling down her face. Was this _real?_

He sighed as he grabbed her hands and pulled her on top of his body, to comfort her. He hugged her against him. He didn't care anymore if anyone happened to see them in such an intimate position. He _loved_ her, and that was _all_ _that mattered._

She pulled away from his embrace and choked as she cried. She looked into his concerned green eyes, and said, "Just—shut up, _please!_ Don't say anymore! I don't _deserve_ your love! I _never_ have!"

He looked into her beautiful blue eyes. He wiped the tears on her cheeks with his fingers as he whispered, "Let me tell you how much I love every _part_ of you, not just your _body,_ but your _soul._ You're _perfect_ for me.I wouldn't change _anything_ about you. _You're_ the one that I want to struggle and suffer with all my days. You're _the one_ , Helga. What's so _bad_ about that?"

Helga choked at his loving words. She warned him in a harsh whisper, "You _don't_ realize what you're getting yourself into putting up with a poor _excuse_ like me. Sure, you've _lived_ with me for seven months, but you haven't even scratched the _surface_ of how unbearable I can be. You also don't know what it's _like_ to be married _,_ have children,or raise a family with me. How can you _possibly_ say that you'll love me _forever?_ _I_ wouldn't even stay with me. _"_ She cried some more, her tears rushing down her face faster than his fingers could catch them. "I couldn't even stay with _you_ and live with _your_ flaws. For the longest time, I put you on a _pedestal!_ I didn't love you _unconditionally!"_

Arnold was now kissing away the tears on her face with his lips. He looked back into her eyes, tears slowly forming in his _own_ eyes from watching her cry so much. He whispered, choking on his words, "Shhh, _stop_ crying, you're making _me_ cry." He sniffed, "Helga, that's the _past._ I want you to _forget_ about the mistakes of the past and focus on the _future._ You love me unconditionally _now,_ and I love _you_ unconditionally. We've learned to love each other _completely,_ with our _whole_ hearts. That's better than anybody _else_ our age could _ever_ say."

She admitted, "But my heart is a _broken_ one, Arnold; how can I _possibly_ love you with _all_ of it? I mean, you told me before that I was just _obsessed_ with you, right? What kind of feelings exist _there?!"_

He whispered, "There's a hole in my heart, too, but that doesn't change my love for you. Nothing will. My love is _unconditional."_ He put his left finger on her lip to stop her from saying anymore before pulling her closer to him, to lie on top of his body. He whispered as he hugged her to him, "Shhh, _Babe,_ calm down. You've learned to love me unconditionally, as I've learned to love _you._ These hard times living with each other, struggling to get along, sleeping in the same bed. It's taught us the _meaning_ of _unconditional love."_

Her voice was muffled in his embrace, "I'm sorry for _everything,_ my Love. I'm sorry for always fighting with you and arguing. I'm sorry for putting that stupid _spell_ on you. And I'm sorry for doubting your words, when you've shown me _countless_ times how much you've cared, not with your _words,_ but your _actions."_

He whispered, "Actions may speak louder than words, but sometimes, you need to hear the words to believe the obvious. I want to _be_ with you, and I'm _so_ sorry it's taken me _so_ long to tell you that. Just close your eyes and let me _love_ you, and I'll continue to show you that my love is _real_."

* * *

 **Twenty minutes later...**

Suddenly, a loud noise that sounded like a trumpet went off outside. Arnold and Helga both woke up quickly and glanced at each other with alarm. A moment later, they looked around in surprise. They noticed Rhonda, Nadine, Phoebe, Lila, Patti, Lorenzo, Sid, Gerald, Stinky and Harold standing around them impatiently, and Sheena was playing her trumpet with expertise. Rhonda had a satisfied smirk on her face.

After Sheena stopped playing the trumpet, Eugene clapped loudly. He said, "Great job, Sheena!"

Rhonda whispered to Nadine on her right, putting her left hand beside her mouth, "See? I _told_ you Sheena knew how to play. I _am_ the knowledgeable gossip queen, after all." She cleared her throat as she turned to the now _awake_ couple. Helga was still lying on top of Arnold, on one of the white patio chairs outside. Rhonda scolded them, "How _dare_ the two of you fall asleep at _my_ party."

Helga growled, getting off Arnold and dusting herself off, "Yeah, but your party isn't exactly exploding with non-stop thrills, Rhondalloyd. And how _dare_ you devise a plan to wake _me_ up when I was sleeping _peacefully_ , _Princess."_

Suddenly, most of the guys erupted in hysterical laughter. Helga raised an eyebrow at all the guys laughing: Harold, Sid, Stinky, and Lorenzo _._ Worried they were laughing at _her,_ she put up her _natural_ defenses, "And just _what_ do you guys think is so _funny_ here?" She crossed her arms.

Harold pointed at Arnold, "Look! He's got a _stiffy!_ _A-HA-HA-HA-HA!_ What's the matter, _Arrr-nold._ Can't resist getting _hard_ sleeping next to your little _girlfriend?!"_

Sid laughed, "Boy howdy, he's pitching a _tent!_ Talk about embarrassing."

Arnold groaned as he sat up on the chair and then put his knees together in embarrassment to hide his _problem_. Sure, it was _natural_ for him to be " _turned on_ " around Helga while he had the _spell_ on him, but it was embarrassing for everyone _else_ to find out about it. He was tempted to leave the party. He could flee with _some_ sort of excuse. Hopefully Helga would be an understanding girlfriend about it.

Helga walked over to the chuckling boys, waving her hands around, "Alright, alright, break it up, already! You guys have got _better_ things to do than stare at my boyfriend's _junk_ all night," She smiled evilly. "Naturally, it wouldn't happen to _you_ stooges since you don't have anything between your legs, right?!" She and all the girls laughed, and the boys fumed at her insult. As they tried to come up with a retort, she blinked as she turned to her boyfriend and thought. _Wait a minute, didn't_ _I_ _want Arnold to confess his_ _love_ _for me when I cast the spell? That means the spell is over, right? Then what's going on? Why the_ _heck_ _is he still turned on?!_

As Arnold tried to calm down his hormones, he heard his best friend ask Rhonda, "So, what party games are we playing tonight?"

Rhonda said to Gerald, "I'm _glad_ you asked. The _first_ game we're playing is a little game called, _Two truths and one lie._ Let's go in the dining room and I'll explain to everyone how it's played!"

* * *

All the preteens were in a circle: Patti next to Harold, then Sheena, Eugene, Rhonda, Lorenzo, Nadine, Sid, Gerald, Phoebe, Stinky, Lila, Helga, and Arnold.

Rhonda looked around at her friends, "Since _obviously_ all the new _seventh_ graders couldn't make it to my party, you guys will be the _only_ ones that will learn this new ice breaker game I just made up." Rhonda let that sink in, and then continued speaking, "I will go around in the circle and each one of you will state your full name, and then give us all two truths about you, and one _lie._ The rest of us are to guess the lie. For each person that guesses correctly, they'll earn one point. The one with the _most_ points at the end of the game _wins._ Since this is _my_ party, I believe that _I'll_ start. Phoebe, can you tally instead of play?"

Phoebe pulled out a notepad from her left pocket and smiled, " _Tallying."_

Rhonda cleared her throat, "Okay, my full name is Rhonda Olivia Wellington Lloyd. I'm the fashion queen of P.S. 118. I wear contacts, and I've thrown _seven_ parties this year."

Sid whispered to Harold and Stinky, "Doesn't sound like any of _that_ is a lie to _me."_

Harold yelled out, "Aww, come on, Rhonda. This is _boring!_ Everyone already _knows_ all of this!" Patti reached for his hand to try to comfort him.

Nadine whispered to the group, " _Think_ about it, everyone: it's a _trick_ question."

Lorenzo admitted, "It's not tricky to _me,_ but I guess since we're dating _, that's_ to be expected."

Gerald said aloud, " _I_ say she's lying about wearing contacts." Most of the guys nodded and agreed with a _"yeah"_ or _"that's it"._

Nadine said, _"I_ say she's lying about the _parties_."

Helga yawned, _"I_ say I really don't _care_ what she's lying about, but I'll go with _Bug Girl_ on _that_ one."

Rhonda said, "Okay, Nadine, Lorenzo, and Helga _all_ get one point, everyone else gets _zero. I_ only threw _six_ parties this year," she grinned.

Helga crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Well, _whoop-de-do_ for you, _Princess_."

Rhonda looked at her new boyfriend, "Okay, Lorenzo. You're next."

Lorenzo cleared his throat, "Alright. My name is Lorenzo Victor Lopez Salinas. I have a _crazy_ schedule, including time for paid work during the week. I'm dating Rhonda right now, and I live with my parents and grandparents."

Rhonda smirked, " _Easy_ one, _Sweetie."_

Nadine and Sheena glanced at each other in thought, trying to figure it out. They all didn't know Lorenzo that well. Only Lila shared a class with him last year.

Sid explained to the group, "He doesn't live with his grandparents. I've been over to his house a _bunch_ over the years."

Helga yawned, "I go with _Paranoid Frog Boy_ on _this_ one."

Sid scowled, "Hey, I am _not_ paranoid, and _don't_ call me _Frog Boy!"_

Rhonda nodded, "Sid and Helga and _I_ all get a point. What's the score, Phoebe?"

Phoebe said to everyone, "Helga, two points. Nadine, Lorenzo, Sid, and Rhonda, one point, everyone else, _zero_."

Nadine looked at her friends, "Okay, it's my turn. My name is Nadine Robinson. My favorite activity is catching bugs, my middle name is Marie, and I'm considered to be _two_ different races."

Rhonda grinned at her, "Oh, that's _easy,_ Nadine."

Arnold thought for a moment, "Wait a minute, isn't your middle name _Lauren?"_

Helga jotted her thumb at Arnold, "I'll go with _Football Head_ on _this_ _one."_

Sid, Harold, and Stinky agreed, and with that, Nadine nodded, "You guys are right. My middle name is _Lauren."_

Helga twiddled her fingers, "I don't know about _you,_ Princess, but this game _blows."_

Harold yelled out, "Patti and I agree with Helga! Now, can we go and grab something to eat, I'm _starving!"_

Stinky scratched his head, "Why, I could have _sworn_ you were in the kitchen half an hour ago."

Phoebe interrupted the argument, "Helga: three points, Sid, Harold, Stinky, Arnold, Nadine, and Rhonda, one point, everyone else _, zero._ "

Rhonda looked at Gerald, "Go ahead, Gerald."

Gerald stood up, "My name is Gerald Martin Johansson. I have _all_ the _Purdy Boy_ mysteries in my collection, I'm the _coolest_ kid in the whole sixth grade, and my _best friend_ is _Arnold."_

Sid chuckled, "Well, _obviously_ that last one isn't a lie. They've been best friends since what, _pre-school?"_

Rhonda said, matter of factly, "Well, _I'm_ the coolest in the sixth grade, so _that's_ a lie."

Arnold said to the group, "It's the _Purdy Boys'_ collection. He hasn't collected the new one yet."

Harold yawned as Patti said to him, rubbing his back reassuringly, "Calm down, Harold. The game will be over soon."

Helga said, pointing her thumb at Arnold again, "I agree with _Football Head._ He knows Gerald-o better than _any_ of you, _saps_ _."_

Rhonda said, shocked, "But… that's not _fair._ I'm _obviously_ the coolest kid in the sixth grade, _not_ Gerald. After all, he won against me as class president two years in a _row_. _Not_ cool!"

Phoebe said, "Helga four points, Arnold two points, Sid, Harold, Stinky, Nadine, and Rhonda, one point, everyone else _, zero._ "

Rhonda was speechless. "Well, I _never,"_ she huffed.

Helga raised an eyebrow at her and winked, "Well, you _should_. It's fun."

Gerald whispered to his best friend, "Your go, man."

Arnold cleared his throat as he said to the group, "I'm Arnold Shortman, my middle name is Phillip, I've been dating Helga since last October, and… uh, Oskar isn't living at the boarding house anymore."

Helga had to roll her eyes, "Easy to guess _that_ one, Bucko. You're a _terrible_ liar, and you _hesitated_ at the end! Oskar is _obviously_ _still_ living at the boarding house."

Phoebe smiled, "I _must_ agree with my best friend."

All the boys and girls sitting around in the circle agreed with Helga.

Phoebe smiled, "Alright, so, Helga: five, Arnold: two, Sid, Stinky, Harold, and Nadine: three, Rhonda: two, and everyone else has _one."_

Arnold whispered to Helga, "Go ahead, Babe."

Helga said to them, "Name's Helga G. Pataki, I wasn't homeless this year, I know where my mother is, and I'm dating _Football Head_. I'm sure you guys _all_ know that _last_ one wasn't a lie, no thanks to _Simmons."_

Sid whispered to Stinky, "Was she _really_ homeless?"

Lila said, sadly, "Helga was _temporarily_ homeless until Arnold let her stay with him."

Rhonda nodded, "Correct. Lila gets one point."

Sid yelled out, "And Stinky and I do _too_ _._ We _knew_ that!"

Helga smirked, "You're _all_ wrong! I was at the _Safehouse._ I don't know where _Miriam_ is, _that_ was the _lie!"_

Arnold paused a moment before saying to his girlfriend, "Well, technically you _were_ homeless, so that's _two_ lies."

Helga rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, _Sherlock."_

Phoebe corrected the tallies and said, "Helga: six, Sid, Stinky, and Arnold: two, Harold and Nadine: three, Rhonda and Lila: two, and everyone else has one."

Rhonda said to the tall girl, "Sheena?"

Sheena cleared her throat nervously, "Hi! My name is Sheena Francesca Smith. I dislike violence, my best friend is Eugene, and my parents are married."

All the girls thought for a moment, completely stumped.

Eugene spoke up excitedly, "I know the answer, but I want to give everybody the chance to guess correctly!"

Rhonda said, "Don't you have a _girl_ best friend?" All the girls agreed with Rhonda.

Sid said, _"I_ say her parents aren't married. Eugene and Sheena have been friends since day _one._ I wouldn't be surprised if they were _best friends_ all those years."

Sheena said, "That is correct, Sid."

Phoebe smiled, "Helga and Sid are _tied_ for first place with six points!"

Eugene said, "Hi everyone! My name is Nathaniel Eugene Horowitz. I've _always_ been the class jinx, Arnold has been responsible for _most_ of my misfortunes, and I've broken _every_ bone in my body in the last year."

Sheena raised her hand excitedly, " _Oh,_ oh, _I_ know the answer!"

Arnold sighed, "Eugene, _how_ many times do I have to tell you that I am _not_ a jinx."

Helga chuckled, " _I_ say that Football Head _is_ a jinx and Eugene _hasn't_ broken every bone in his body _yet_ this year."

Sid chuckled, "I agree with Helga. After all, Arnold _has_ been responsible for _most_ of Eugene's misfortunes."

Arnold scowled at Sid, "Cut it out, Sid!"

Gerald held out his left hand, and said matter of factly, "The _bone_ one, he's lying about that." Harold and Stinky agreed with a nod.

Sheena said, "He hasn't broken _every_ bone this year, his back is untouched. He told me so last _week_. And technically, the bones in his inner ears are also intact and it would be very difficult for them to break, so… yeah."

Helga smirked at Sheena, " _So far,_ my girl. _So far."_

Phoebe said, "Helga and Sid are _still_ tied for first place with seven points. Stinky and Arnold: four, Harold and Nadine: three, Rhonda, Sheena, Gerald, and Lila: two, and everyone else has one."

Rhonda said to the crowd, "Lila?"

Lila stood up, "My full name is Lila Ashley Sawyer. I moved here in the fourth grade from the country, my mother passed away many years ago, and I've never been homeless."

Helga thought for a moment, "Hmm. I've got to admit, this is a _tough_ one."

Arnold thought a moment before saying softly, "The last one."

Lila nodded sadly, "Once. It was when I was five. My mother passed away then, and my father lost his job."

Stinky said, "Still sorry to hear _that_ one, Miss Lila."

Phoebe said, "Helga and Sid: Seven, Arnold: five, Stinky: four, Harold and Nadine: three, Rhonda, Sheena, Gerald, and Lila: two, and everyone else has one."

Rhonda pointed to Stinky, "Alright, Stinky. Your turn."

Stinky said, "Let's see. My full name is Christopher Stiles ' _Stinky_ ' Peterson, my ma and pa used to live in the country, I've moved here in first grade, and I don't care about fame."

Sid laughed, "Oh man, that's _easy!_ Stinky has been living here his whole _life!_ I used to play in the playground with you before we even started _preschool!"_

Stinky smiled, putting one thumb up, "Darn tooting!"

Phoebe said, "Okay, Sid is in the lead."

Rhonda looked at her ex _and_ his new girlfriend, "So, are you guys _participating?"_

Harold admitted, "Nah, I'm just here for the _snacks."_

Patti said softly, "I'm fine just listening. I'm not worried about participating or winning like everyone else is."

Rhonda shrugged, "Suit yourself, Patti. Sid? Have you gone yet?"

Sid stood up and said, "My full name is Sidney Taylor Gifaldi, my birthday is July fifteenth, and I have the _coolest_ room known to man."

Stinky said, "That's a dang lie, Sid! You don't have the coolest room. You _borrowed_ Arnold's when Lorenzo was in our class in fourth grade."

Lorenzo nodded, "That is very true."

Arnold, Harold, Gerald, and Helga agreed.

Rhonda looked at Phoebe, "Okay, who won?"

Phoebe smiled, "Sid and Helga are _tied_ for first place."

Sheena, Lila, and Nadine cheered. Patti and Phoebe smiled, Harold and Helga yawned, and Sid smirked. All the others waited for Rhonda's next words with curiosity.

Rhonda said, "Okay, I guess the winner should get a _prize,_ huh?"

Helga held out her left hand expectantly, "I'll take cash."

Sid grinned, "I'll take cash _too!"_

Rhonda reached in her red and black party dress and pulled out forty dollars. She handed twenty to Sid and twenty to Helga. She said to them both, "You both are _something,_ you know that? You're lucky I'm _loaded_ with cash, otherwise I wouldn't give _either_ of you a _penny."_

Harold said to her, "Aw, Rhonda. For once in your life, could you stop being _stuck up_?"

As Sid, Stinky, and Harold laughed, Rhonda huffed, "Well, I _never._ You guys are _out_ of the next game."

Harold got up, holding out his hand for Patti to take to stand, "Come on, _Patti._ I think there's still some snacks left over in the kitchen." As they walked in the kitchen, Sid and Stinky ran behind them, giggling about something.

Nadine smiled at her best friend, "What game are we playing _next,_ Rhonda?"

Rhonda flicked her hair, "Well, I figure since we did the ice breaker game, we can get into more _engaging_ and _risk-taking_ games."

Helga raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she put the twenty bucks away, "I'm afraid to ask _what_ you've got up your sleeves, _Rhondalloyd_."

Nadine asked her best friend curiously, "Are we playing _Truth or Dare_?"

Rhonda smirked at the crowd around her, "No, Nadine. Something _much_ different than that _elementary_ _school_ game. Helga, since you won the last game, why don't you start _this_ one?"

Helga raised her left eyebrow, "What _exactly_ am I getting involved in, _Princess?_ I mean, I don't even know _which_ game we're going to play and _you're_ asking _me_ to _start?"_

Rhonda motioned for Nadine to walk over. She handed Nadine a stop-watch. Rhonda smirked at Helga, " _We're_ going to play _Seven Minutes in Heaven_."

Gerald raised an eyebrow, "Aren't all the _high_ schoolers playing that game? Isn't that a little _mature_ for all of us since we're just starting _middle_ school?"

Phoebe asked curiously, "What's the purpose of the game? I've never heard of _Seven Minutes in Heaven_ before."

Nadine explained the rules, "Two people are chosen to go in a closet in _complete_ darkness for seven minutes. Anything can happen in there, but once the doors open, it's _all_ over. You will have seven minutes inside to do what you want."

Phoebe noticed Helga's smirk that was directed at her, and said to Rhonda, "I don't know if I want to participate in this game."

Rhonda said, " _Stop_ being so _bashful,_ Phoebe. Don't knock it until you've tried it. You might _enjoy_ it."

Helga added bluntly, "Speaking of which, Gerald and Phoebs can get the _first_ closet."

Gerald's eyes went wide in shock at Helga's suggestion, and Phoebe looked frustrated and irritated. She crossed her arms and looked away from Gerald. Certainly, Helga understood that she didn't _want_ to be paired up with Gerald _anymore_ on _anything._

Lila, Nadine, and Rhonda were sighing and making " _aw_ " noises. Arnold watched as his girlfriend walked over to Gerald.

Gerald whispered to Helga, "Helga, you _do_ realize what you're _doing_ right now, right?"

Helga whispered in his left ear, "I think it's time to apologize and make things right. Go get her, _Loverboy."_

Gerald whispered back, "But, what if she doesn't _forgive_ me?"

Helga put her left hand on his right shoulder, "Phoebe forgave _me_ for what _I_ did. What makes _you_ so _special?"_

Gerald watched Phoebe a moment before Rhonda and Nadine pushed both into a dark closet, giggling.

Rhonda blew a kiss at them, "Have fun, you _love birds."_ She turned off the lights and shut the door on them.

* * *

Patti watched as Harold sat at Rhonda's table and stuffed his face with pastries and cookies. Patti sighed, "Harold,we're in the company of others. Could you be more mannerly, please?"

Sid shrugged, saying to Patti, "Oh, don't worry about _us._ This is typical behavior for _him."_

Stinky added, "Yeah! I still remember the time we bet Harold twenty-five cents that he couldn't eat fifty Mr. Fudgy bars."

Harold looked up from the food that was smeared all over his face to say to them, "I _did_ it, _didn't_ I?"

Patti said to Sid and Stinky, "Twenty-five _cents?_ How much did each of the bars _cost?"_

Stinky laughed, "Fifty cents a piece."

Sid and Stinky laughed as Harold paid them no mind and kept stuffing his face.

Patti groaned before she looked at her oblivious boyfriend, " _Harold."_

* * *

The preteens that were playing _Seven_ _Mi_ _nutes in Heaven_ all sat on the couch and the floor huddled together, waiting for Rhonda's permission to check on the couple that was locked in the closet.

Helga tapped her fingers impatiently on the couch, and looked at Rhonda, "So, what are we going to _do?_ Just continue to sit here and wait for them to finish _locking lips?"_

Nadine, Sheena, and Lila giggled at Helga's wise-crack, considering Gerald and Phoebe _both_ used to be in a relationship.

Rhonda nodded, "It will be worth it. Just you wait and see. It might even give me some _gossip_ for next year."

Arnold was sitting left of Helga on the couch. He whispered to her, "Are you _sure_ about this? I mean, I know you and Gerald are getting along now, but him and Phoebe _did_ break up a couple of months ago. I'm worried they're going to get into a serious fight, being locked in there all by themselves."

Helga chuckled, " _Believe_ me, Bucko. The _last_ thing Gerald and Phoebe are doing in there right now is _fighting."_

* * *

In the dark closet that Gerald and Phoebe were sitting on the floor in, there was silence for three whole minutes. Phoebe had her arms crossed and Gerald looked apprehensive, trying to figure out how to start a conversation.

Gerald cleared his throat, nervously, "Phoebe, I'm _so_ sorry."

Phoebe was silent a moment before saying, "Why are you apologizing for something that's already _over?_ Our relationship is in the _past,_ Gerald. I've moved on. _You_ need to move on as well."

He reached for her left hand, but she pulled it back from him. He sighed, "Have you _really_ moved on from me? I mean, we've hardly had the chance at _having_ a relationship like Harold and Patti have, _or_ Arnold and Helga."

She paused a moment at the mention of Arnold and Helga, before saying, "I thought that you didn't _want_ us to be like Arnold or Helga. I thought you didn't want us to take the _risks."_

He looked away, "I've changed my mind."

She blinked in the darkness, thinking that she misheard him, "Excuse me?"

He said, "You were _right_ , Phoebe _._ I wasn't being considerate of your _needs,_ and if you wanted a physical relationship, the _least_ I could have done was given it a _shot._ Sure, I'm fearful of what's happened in my family, but I _can't_ let my fears overwhelm me to where I'm not living my _own_ life."

She uncrossed her arms and looked over at Gerald. She took the chance and reached for one of his hands in the darkness, "You're right. I'm sorry, too."

He squeezed her hands gently, "Man, what do _you_ have to be sorry for? _I_ was the one at _fault."_

She moved closer to him, admitting, "But… I didn't respect your _fears._ Helga told me a relationship was nothing without the physical aspects of it. I suppose the lack of physical intimacy in our relationship caused me to make a rash decision and become paranoid. I didn't stop to consider she could be _wrong._ I was _also_ being _selfish."_

He whispered to her hesitantly, "Are we _ever_ going to be able to put this fight behind us and try _again?_ I want to _be_ with you, Phoebe, for _real_ this time."

She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned towards him. With those words, their lips met each other's for the first time in _three months._

* * *

Sheena, Lila, Nadine, and Helga sat with Rhonda on her couch. They waited impatiently for the seven minutes to be up. Eugene and Arnold were standing up now. They looked at Lorenzo as he checked his new high-tech watch. Nadine checked her smartphone as well, and then turned to Rhonda and nodded. Lorenzo gave his girlfriend two thumbs up for confirmation.

Rhonda pursed her lips together before she got off the couch and walked over to the closet, "Follow _me,_ everyone."

Lorenzo, Sheena, Eugene, Lila, Arnold, Helga, and Nadine all followed close behind Rhonda as she walked over to the closet and unlocked the door. Nadine turned on the closet light and every one of the preteens who were waiting gasped in shock at what they saw.

Phoebe was on top of Gerald, leaving kisses all _over_ his face. She didn't hear the closet door open or her peers' gasping in shock. Gerald didn't look _too_ bothered about all the attention, either. He was lying back against the ground with a smile on his lips, enjoying her gentle affections.

Helga raised her left eyebrow as she looked at Arnold on her right. She couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, at _least_ they're still _dressed."_

Arnold groaned as he elbowed her. _"Helga!"_

Helga smirked at her boyfriend, "Hey, I was just stating the _obvious."_

Rhonda smirked as she hollered, "Your seven minutes are up, _love birds!"_

Phoebe pulled away from Gerald. She blushed when she noticed everyone around, watching them. Gerald blinked a couple times to clear the fussiness from his eyes before getting off the ground.

Arnold asked Phoebe as she walked out of the closet, "Did you forgive him? Are you guys back together?"

Phoebe nodded with a smile and a blush, "Affirmative."

Helga smirked at Gerald as he walked out of the closet, "Not half-bad, _Loverboy."_

Gerald sighed wistfully, "Man, I wouldn't mind going for _another_ seven minutes like _that."_

Sheena commented, "You can't. It's time for you and Phoebe to pick two _other_ people to go in the closet."

Gerald smirked at Helga, "You and Arnold: _Seven_ _Minutes in Heaven_."

Lila and Sheena held their hands together and sighed admirably.

Rhonda only huffed as she crossed her arms, "Ugh, so _boring._ They're _already_ a couple! What's going to be _so_ _shocking_ about _them_ kissing? Don't they make out with each other enough _already?"_

Helga mumbled to herself, "Not _enough_ , _that's_ for sure."

Gerald whispered to Helga, so Arnold couldn't hear, "You know what you've got to _do,_ right?"

Helga whispered back to Gerald, "Sit down and wait for the _Princess_ to open the door? He's _not_ going to budge, _Gerald._ _You_ should know that better than _anyone."_

Gerald smirked at her, as if he knew something she didn't. He said, "He _loves_ you, and he _wants_ you. I say, go for it. He can't resist you _forever_. I couldn't resist _Phoebe."_

Helga sighed as she put on a fake smile and walked over to the closet, "Let's get this stupid thing over with." Arnold only nodded in agreement as he walked over to the closet as well.

Rhonda said to them so only _they_ could hear, "You've got seven minutes. Also, while we _all_ know about your past struggles, Arnold, nothing that happens in there will be _anything_ we _haven't_ seen or heard before. Unfortunately, I don't think you two would be willing to have _sex_ in seven minutes just to give me something to _talk_ about next year, but you _must_ admit, it's a _tempting_ idea for us _both."_

Helga's eyes widened in shock, "Are you _kidding_ me? What, are you planning on having us completely _naked_ by the time you open the door? Are you going to take _pictures_ and _videos_ to put up around our new middle school?" Helga huffed and whispered, "And here I thought _Arnold_ was the perverted one this year."

Arnold sighed, a bit aggravated, "We're _not_ planning on getting _naked_ in your closet, Rhonda."

Rhonda pursed her lips before smirking at Arnold, "Suit yourself. Nadine?" She turned to her best friend.

Nadine smiled sadly when she remembered Arnold's speech about his _problem._ She said to him softly, "I'm sorry, Arnold," and shut the door.

* * *

Sid, Stinky, and Harold were walking around Rhonda's kitchen, snooping. Sid was opening cabinets and drawers, Harold kept opening the fridge and the freezer, looking for more snacks, and Stinky was walking around with his hands behind his back, looking around, trying to figure out what to get into. Patti was sitting at the table. She couldn't help but watch the three boys with curiosity.

She asked them, "What are you doing meddling in Rhonda's personal stuff? Aren't you afraid you're going to get in _trouble?"_

Harold chuckled as he pulled out a piece of rich double chocolate cake. "Aw, I'm not _meddling_ in Rhonda's personal stuff. I just want more to _eat!_ Relax, Patti. We do this kind of stuff all the time. We're _not_ going to get _caught."_ He stuffed the whole piece of cake in his mouth at once.

Sid whispered to the two other boys, "I say we mess with the wiring underneath the stove and set it on _fire._ We'll _surely_ mess with her head _that_ way. She'll regret _ever_ kicking us out of the living room just because she's a _snob."_

Patti narrowed her eyes and said to her boyfriend, "Harold, I would really appreciate it if you didn't make such careless decisions that could get the both of us in trouble."

Harold groaned in annoyance, "Aw, come on Patti, _you aren't my mother_. I can take care of _myself!"_

Stinky opened a cabinet that was above the fridge that only _he_ could reach, and he gasped when he saw what was inside, "Willikers! The Lloyd family really _is_ rich, fellers! They've got a chock full of wine up in this hear cabinet!"

Sid chuckled, "Enough to get us _drunk,_ right? I think we should do it!"

Stinky stared at Sid a moment, "Sid, I don't think that's the smartest thing to do. Why don't we just dump the wine bottles out and leave them all over the kitchen for her to clean up?"

Harold said to them both, "I think we should pull everything out of the fridge AND EAT ALL HER FOOD! YEAH!"

Sid sighed, "Is your belly _all_ you ever think about, Harold?"

Stinky said to the two boys, "Hey, I've got it! Why not start a _food fight?"_

Sid crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "I like the getting drunk off all her parents expensive wine idea _a lot_ better."

Patti pulled Harold's arm to lead him out of the kitchen, and he protested, " _Hey,_ where are we _going?!"_

She warned him, "I think it's best that we find something _else_ to do."

* * *

Arnold and Helga were sitting on the floor in the dark, facing each other in silence. It only took Helga sixty seconds to start a conversation with him, "So, you must be feeling pretty _normal_ right about now, huh _?"_

Arnold tried to see her face in the dark, but he could only see a shadow. Sighing, he said, "I feel like I _usually_ do, I _guess."_

She smirked, " _Really_ now? Because _I_ know how to break the spell."

With those words, his eyes lit up in surprise. He couldn't help but ask her, "You know how to _break_ the spell? You really _do?_ _How,_ Helga?! What do I have to _do?!"_

She said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms, "You don't have to do _anything, Goof-Wad:_ you've already _completed_ it!"

Those words made him confused. He asked, "What do you _mean,_ Helga? We haven't had sex. You know I've been avoiding physical intimacy for that reason. I didn't _want_ to complete it."

She admitted, "I don't mean complete it by having _sex._ All _I've_ ever wanted from you is for you to tell me that you _love_ me. I can't _believe_ I didn't think of it _sooner!_ When I put that spell on you, I asked you to admit your _feelings_ for me, to _burn_ for me, to _want_ me like I want _you,_ and you've _done_ it! You've done _exactly_ what I've asked you to _do!_ It's _over_ , Arnold! You don't have to _resist_ me anymore! The spell has been _broken!"_

Arnold blinked in the darkness, and then blinked again. It was the weirdest thing for him to hear that there was no _spell_ on him! She said that he didn't need to worry about going too far physically, but if that was true, then why was he _still turned on?_ Was it the tension of being alone in the closet together with the lights off, or was Helga _lying_ to him just to get him to _give in?_ He said with a sigh, "Look, why don't we turn the lights on and bang on the door to get out? We both realize that we _love_ each other. We don't need to stay in here and start something we're not able to finish. Besides, what if Rhonda's serious about seeing us naked? I don't think it's a good idea."

Helga rolled her eyes, getting frustrated with his thick-headedness, "You're misunderstanding me _._ You don't _have_ the spell on you anymore, so what reason would you have to _jump_ me if we started kissing? You were _only_ going through those puberty related issues because of the _spell_ I put on you, and now it's _broken_. You can kiss me and hug me and touch me all you _want_ _without_ us having sex. We won't take our clothes off or go too far. How _would_ you go too far _without_ the _spell_ on you, anyway? _Think_ about it!"

He thought about what she said but didn't make a move to kiss or touch her. He was starting to believe she was making up a lie about the spell being over _just_ to get him to _give in_. She was so set on having a physical relationship with him, it was no _wonder_ she was trying by _lying_ to him.

She noticed that he wasn't responding, and tried another approach, with a sigh, "Look, Arnold, can't you put your _goody-two-shoes_ nature aside for me for just one minute and do what you _want_ to do for a change? You say you _love_ me, but you don't want to get _closer. You're_ the one that told me love is more than just the emotional, it's the physical _and_ wanting to be closer to the other person. What's so _wrong_ with making out in a dark closet when you obviously _want_ to? If you _really_ loved me, wouldn't you do this? You _know_ you would. _I_ would do it without another _thought!"_

She moved closer to him on the floor and he groaned as he thought about what she said. His hands were already being placed on her shoulders automatically. Spell or no spell, he was having trouble resisting her. He was also feeling pressured to _do_ stuff to show his girlfriend he was serious about his love for her. He whispered, "I guess if you _really_ want to bring back the physical side of our relationship, I can't refuse it if I'm in _love_ with you. _"_ His hot lips met hers heatedly, and within a few seconds, she was _already_ seeking his tongue. Gosh, it had been _so_ long since they were able to be physical in a private place, he could already _feel_ his body reacting. But wait… didn't Helga _just_ tell him that the spell was _OVER_!? That—that _couldn't_ be true! She _lied_ to him; he was _sure_ of it now!

She was swapping tongues with him faster and could even feel the bulge in his pants pushing against his jeans _and_ her dress as she got on top of him. Wait a minute—how could he _possibly_ be _excited_ after the spell was brought to _completion?_ It made no sense! She couldn't help but think to herself. _Must be a delayed reaction from all that pent-up sexual frustration he hasn't released. Wait a minute, if he's_ _still_ _sexually frustrated, I could use that to my_ _advantage_ _, right? I mean, at_ _this_ _point, it's not like he doesn't_ _love_ _me, and obviously he_ _wants_ _me, even after denying my pleasure repeatedly. He left me frustrated and irritated for_ _months_ _. Heh, it's payback time. Helga, you're a_ _genius_ _!_

She started to devour his mouth, licking and swapping her tongue even _faster_ against his.

He was easily able to keep up with her, groaning as he pushed _her_ against the ground and got on top of _her_ , for once taking the lead _himself._ He was losing his patience and control. As he entwined their hands together, trying to control the impulse to slam their hips together and start dry humping, they heard the door open. They opened their eyes and stopped kissing when they noticed a light coming on in the room.

Rhonda smirked as Lila, Nadine, and Sheena whistled at them holding hands and made " _aw_ " noises. Phoebe and Gerald smiled at the tender affections.

Rhonda commented, "Now _that_ is simply _adorable._ I can _never_ get over how _cute_ the two of you look together."

Nadine said to her best friend, "Hey Rhonda. Shouldn't we get the others so that we can start the next party game?"

Rhonda said to Nadine, "Just as long as they _don't_ make any rude remarks about me."

Lila asked, "Was the next game the dance contest that you were talking about earlier? I think it sounds like an oh so romantic idea! I'll go with Nadine to go get Stinky."

Rhonda, Nadine, and Lila walked in the kitchen and Rhonda gasped at what she saw. Food was thrown all over the place! She walked in, and screamed at Sid and Stinky, "What did you both _do_?! Why are all my kitchen cabinets opened, and half of the groceries that were in my parent's fridge THROWN ALL OVER THE PLACE!?"

Sid and Stinky backed up, pointing at each other. They said, simultaneously, "It was his fault, he did it. HE DID IT!"

Patti sighed as she approached Rhonda from behind, with Harold beside her. Patti said, "Just forgive them, Rhonda. I don't think they're even _thinking_ about what they're doing at _this_ point."

Rhonda sighed as she rolled her eyes. Considering Patti was kind enough to forgive _her_ in the past, she decided to dismiss what Sid and Stinky did to her kitchen. She turned to Patti and said to her, "Honestly, I'm _not_ surprised, but my parents can replace the pantries and refrigerator with their steady income. I suppose it's _not_ a big deal." She raised her voice to the two boys that messed up her kitchen, getting their attention, "Just as long as you both _CLEAN UP THIS MESS RIGHT NOW!"_ Sid and Stinky nodded as they looked at Rhonda, terrified. They started cleaning up the kitchen immediately.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Arnold and Helga walked out of the closet and back in the living room. Arnold was lightheaded, and Helga was smirking at his lovesick expression. She thought to herself. _You're going to_ _regret_ _ever making me_ _wait_ _for your love, Bucko. You're turned on so badly that you can't even_ _walk_ _straight, and you don't have a_ _spell_ _that you can blame for it,_ _either_ _.'_

Phoebe and Gerald approached their best friends. Gerald smirked as he raised his left eyebrow, repeating what Helga had said earlier, "Well, _at least_ you guys still have your _clothes_ on."

Phoebe giggled behind her hands at her _boyfriend's_ comment as he grinned at her.

* * *

It wasn't long before the gang was outside on Rhonda's balcony. All the chairs were moved in a large square around it. Rhonda was standing in the center of the _dance_ circle next to her boyfriend, Lorenzo. She was getting ready to make the announcements about the competition. Nadine was sitting next to Sid, Eugene next to Sheena, Phoebe next to Gerald, Lila next to Stinky, Harold next to Patti, and Arnold next to Helga. Rhonda said to everyone, "Okay, this is my couples dance competition. You will _each_ have five minutes to dance out whichever style you prefer. The winning couple will get a limo ride and a reservation to a _fancy_ hotel on the beach. It's not as fancy as the one my _parents_ booked, but _still_ rated _at least_ four stars. My parents gave my _boyfriend_ and I one as a graduation present and I am free to give the reservation they _didn't_ want to whomever I choose." Rhonda flicked her hair.

Harold raised his left hand, "Um, shouldn't we practice our dancing before the contest? I mean, I haven't danced with a girl for a year."

Sid couldn't help but laugh at Harold's expense, "Yeah, he might have _two left feet."_

As Stinky, Gerald, and Sid laughed at him, Harold yelled to all three of them, "Cut it out! Shut up, Sid! Shut up right now or I'll _pound_ you!"

Patti made fists with her hands and cracked her knuckles and _that_ was when Gerald swallowed, and Sid and Stinky started whistling, as if they'd _never_ said _anything_ to Harold. They were afraid of Harold, but after seeing his girlfriend ready to beat them up, they stopped teasing him. Patti didn't have a good reputation for _not_ hitting others in the past.

Rhonda said, "You all have thirty minutes to practice. The dance competition will start at six tonight, right here on my balcony."

* * *

Sid shut the door to one of Rhonda's rooms and looked at Nadine, "I've got to be honest with you, Nadine. I may have won the _last_ competition, but I don't know a _thing_ about dancing. I don't think we have much of a chance to win."

Nadine shrugged, "It doesn't matter if we win or not. I guess the three real couples are going to slow dance. Let's do something more upbeat considering neither of us is in a relationship."

He was relieved, "That sounds great _!_ No offense, but I was kind of hoping that we wouldn't have to kiss."

She breathed a sigh of relief as well, "I agree with you, Sid. Let's just have _fun!"_ She got on her smart phone to look up dance styles they could do. She smiled when she saw one that looked slightly familiar, and pointed at it, showing it to Sid. "I think we should try _this._ It's called _Swing Dancing._ We wouldn't have to touch much, and from what I remember about it, it's really cool!"

He scratched the back of his neck with his left hand, "I've got to admit, it doesn't look half bad, but what if I let go of you and swing you across the dance floor? I mean, I've never done _any_ sort of dancing _before."_

She laughed, "It will be _fine,_ Sid, and _I_ can lead. My mom and dad performed swing dancing when they were dating. It's pretty simple." Nadine looked at Sid a moment as he stared at her. He clearly didn't know where to start.

He cleared his throat, laughing nervously, "I guess we've got to start by holding hands, right?"

* * *

Sheena and Eugene were out in the open, doing their typical dancing routine that they had memorized by now. They both said, "A-five, six, seven, eight, and jump!"

* * *

Stinky rubbed his left arm nervously. He took a glance at his date. Lila smiled sweetly at him, batting her eyelashes affectionately.

He scratched his head, "Um, did you want to slow dance? I promise not to drop you."

She said, "I know ballet, but I've _never_ slow danced with somebody before. I'm afraid I might not be very good at it."

He reassured her, "It's okay, Miss Lila. We can practice out here and go nice and slow. I ain't never slow danced neither, maybe _square_ danced."

Her eyes lit up, "Square dancing? Oh, Stinky, that sounds like an _oh so_ exciting dance routine. Can you _teach_ me how to square dance?"

He smiled, holding out his hand, "Why sure, Miss Lila. Ain't a problem at all."

* * *

Phoebe cleared her throat nervously as she looked at her _boyfriend._ She said to him, "Um… would you like to slow dance together?"

He laughed nervously, "Sure, Baby. I might be a bit out of practice. It's been awhile since we've danced."

She said sadly, "Yes, it _has_ been a rather long time."

He thoughtfully said, "Yeah. Let's slow dance, but let's try a little more _hands_ _-_ _on_ routine. Does that sound good?"

She smiled excitedly, "Gosh, that sounds _wonderful!"_

* * *

Patti and Harold were by themselves outside while everyone _else_ was upstairs.

Harold crossed his arms as soon as they got outside, "Why should I care about a stupid dance? I know how to dance! I danced with _you_ a _year_ ago!"

She said to him, reassuringly, "Harold, _relax._ Just because we're in front of your friends for the competition, you shouldn't be nervous."

He explained, "I'm not nervous. I just think dancing's stupid, and dancing competitions are stupid too. I mean, what can we do with a hotel stay? Why can't Rhonda just give us a grocery card or a gift card to an all-you-can-eat place?"

She sighed, "While I admit _that_ would probably be a _better_ idea, it shouldn't stop us from having a good time. After all, Harold, we haven't participated in _any_ of the _other_ contests or activities, besides eating."

He admitted to her with a smile, "Eating is _worth_ it. At least I know what I'm getting when I put food in my mouth."

She said to him, with a smirk, "I keep thinking you just don't want to do this whole dancing contest thing because you're _scared_."

His eyes widened, "Scared? I'm _not_ scared! Why should I be scared of a stupid dance! I can dance! I can dance a whole lot better than _you_ can."

She said to him, sternly, "Then, _prove_ it to me, Harold."

He grabbed her arms and started to slow dance with her, counting cautiously, "One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four."

* * *

Arnold and Helga were upstairs in Rhonda's parents' room, sitting on her parent's bed. Helga said to her boyfriend, who was sitting beside her on the right, "So, what did you want us to _do_ while we're waiting on Princess Lloyd to call us out to the dance floor? I mean, _obviously_ , we're _experts._ We don't _need_ any sort of _practice!"_

Arnold raised his right eyebrow and put his right hand on his hip, "Experts. Since when are _we_ experts?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Oh, come _off_ it, Arnold-o. We've danced with each other _plenty_ of times. Like that April Fool's Day dance."

He sighed, "That wasn't really dancing though, was it, Helga?"

She stared at him a moment, "What would _you_ call it then?"

He hesitated a moment before saying, looking away, "I don't know. Entrapment?"

She smacked her head with her left hand and drug it down her face, "Sheesh. Well then, why don't _you_ show me _your_ moves, Football Head, for _real_ this time."

"If you insist." He couldn't help but smirk as he got off the bed and walked over to Rhonda's music player. He already knew which dance style he wanted to do with Helga for the competition. He put the radio on a station that was playing _Brazilian_ music, and then slowly moved his way back over to Helga, swaying his hips to the beat as he walked over. She watched him curiously from her seat on the bed, taking a moment to raise _her_ right eyebrow. His eyes were on hers as her eyes stared into his with the same intense passion. He said, lowly, "Are you _sure_ you can keep up with me? Grandma taught me the _Lambada_ a few years ago."

Her eyes went wide, "The _Lambada?_ Is she _crazy?_ I mean, _I_ know what the Lambada is, but only because I've _read_ about it."

He chuckled a moment as he reached his right hand down to grab her left hand and help her up, "I think you already know that my Grandma is a _little_ off, but she's _still_ a smart and compassionate person. So is my Grandpa, even if they both _do_ treat me as if I'm older sometimes."

She thought to herself as she circled around her boyfriend, still moving her hips. _And they're both sensual, apparently. His grandparents are practically_ _begging_ _for us to screw each other!_ She said to him, "I'm take it you want to give the entire middle school something _else_ to talk about?"

Arnold took both of her hands into his and lifted them above their heads and back down repeatedly. They both kept moving their hips to the beat of the music. He said, "It's _June._ They're liable to forget all about Rhonda's party by _August._ Besides, we gave them something to talk about _last_ year during the April Fool's Day dance, why not now while we're dancing the lambada _?_ It might be _fun_ to watch _you_ suffer for a change. You've made _me_ suffer for _months_ by putting that _spell_ on me." He took her right hand to twirl her around until she was in front of him, her back facing him. He used the opportunity to grab her right hand with his and lean closer to her, whispering harshly in her right ear, "Which, by the way, I know is _still_ on me. You know if you _really_ wanted to get close, you didn't need to manipulate me to get your way. I want to be close to you, spell or no spell." He grinded himself into her backside as they danced to the music, and by Helga's gasp, she could _tell_ he was _excited_. He was starting to lose control, but for some reason, he was beyond caring. He thought to himself, _You did this to yourself, Helga. I'm going to give you_ _exactly_ _what you've been asking for, but will you be able to handle it as well as_ _I_ _have? I guess we'll see._ He used his right hand to twirl her away from him, to the left, then the right, then the left.

As soon as she was in front of him again, she put her hands on his shoulders as she continued to move her hips closer to his _core._ She whispered, "If you're so sure you're _still_ under that spell, Arnold, then why don't you _do_ something about it?" She pressed herself against his hips and whispered, _"Prove_ to me where the magic ends and where the boy I love _really_ begins, or are you _scared?"_ She chuckled to herself, her body rippling with the motion of her laughter. Toying with him turned her on _so_ much, and he made it _so_ easy sometimes. Who was _she_ to try to resist _him?_

They both moved around in a circle, shaking their hips closer to each other as they continued to dance. He hated being called scared, especially when being physical was the _least_ of his worries. What did he need to keep holding back for? It wasn't like she didn't _want_ it. She had been practically _begging_ him to have sex with her since sex ed class in January! She deserved to be teased, just as much as she was always teasing him, and it was about _time_ he took matters into his _own_ hands. He twirled her body to the left before pulling her body in front of him against his, earning a gasp of surprise from his girlfriend at how _rough_ he was being. He said, hoarsely, " _Ooh_ , I'm not scared of what you _do_ to me, _that_ should be pretty _obvious_ right about now." He grinded himself against her softly and she panted in excitement. He continued, "The one that _should_ be scared is _you._ Just _think_ about what I can do to this body of yours on the dance floor." He whispered in her ear, "Remember, _I_ know how to _tango_." She swallowed, taking a deep breath.

After _those_ words, Rhonda opened the door they were in, just before things got even _more_ heated between them. As the song on the radio came to an end, she said to them, "What are you both waiting for? It's time for the dance competition on my balcony. Everyone _else_ is already downstairs!"

Arnold and Helga hesitantly stopped dancing and looked at Rhonda. The sexual tension was lingering in the air between them. Even _Rhonda_ sensed something _big_ happened that she didn't know about. As the couple walked downstairs quietly, she could only watch them in deep thought from behind, putting her left hand on her chin.

* * *

Rhonda had disco lights on that lit up the dark outside and the balcony as she stood in the middle of it, everyone else was in the chairs that were around her. She said to the couples, "Okay, everyone has five minutes to dance. The couple that dances the best _wins._ Lorenzo and I aren't participating because we already have _our_ prize." She winked at her boyfriend and he blushed before she turned to the first couple, "Harold and Patti, you're up!"

As Harold and Patti got up and started slow dancing, Harold noticed something he didn't before. With his focus off himself and on his girlfriend, he was less concerned about the opinion of others. Also, nobody was laughing at them like he _thought_ they would.

Patti smiled at Harold as they slow danced together to the music. She said to him, "You smell nice, Harold."

Harold smiled slightly, "It was some sort of cologne mom sprayed on me before I left. You don't smell so bad yourself."

She said to him, "The perfume is called Windsong."

He admitted, "It suits you. Strong, but _unique."_

They both gave each other a gentle smile as they continued dancing. They were deep in the moment.

After they finished their routine, everyone clapped as Rhonda announced, "Okay, Stinky and Lila, you guys are up next. Let's see some _moves_ out on this floor!"

Stinky and Lila got up excitedly from their seats on the left side. Stinky said, "Ain't a problem, Miss Lloyd. Hopefully, you'll enjoy our _square-dancing_ routine."

Helga couldn't help but comment, raising her left hand out, "Square dancing? What are we in? Some sort of freaky western movie?"

Everyone watched as Lila and Stinky started square dancing together.

They were rounding up on each other, and then backing up. Lila admitted to Stinky with a giggle, "This is ever so much fun! This is _oh_ so much better than operas or ballet dancing." Her heart was pounding with nerves.

He admitted to her, "I reckon I wouldn't know anything about all of _that_ _._ My Ma' and Pa' taught me to doe-see-doe." They grabbed each other's hands and stared into each other's eyes.

Her eyes were glistening as she looked into his eyes. She admitted to him, in a whisper, "I'm _scared,_ Stinky."

He blinked in confusion, "Scared? Why, I reckon you're doing all the dance moves perfectly _fine,_ Miss Lila."

She let go of his hands before she said to him, "No, Stinky. That'snot what I meant. I meant… well, if I'm perfectly honest with you, I'm afraid of _falling."_

Stinky said, "You haven't lost your mojo yet, and if you fall on this here floor, I'll catch you."

Lila sighed, "It's not the _floor_ I'm worried about falling on… it's in _love_ with you."

He watched her curiously as she explained to him, "I've only fallen in love _once_ in my life, and _that's_ with Arnold, but he broke my heart just _ever_ so much. I cared deeply for him, but he didn't want to _be_ with me."

He was confused, "But haven't you been turning him down for _years?_ That don't make any dang sense."

She said, "I was afraid he would fall out of love again and re-break my heart. Not only that, but I knew Helga's feelings for him _before_ she admitted them to everyone. I didn't want her heart to be broken the way _mine_ was from Arnold, all because of my actions. That wouldn't be fair to _her."_

Stinky grabbed Lila's left hand and kissed it gently before rocking her in his arms against him, "Why, I reckon, I'll never break your heart, Miss Lila. You're the prettiest gal I ever did lay eyes on. And I know how it feels to be heart broken. Helga broke up with _me_ after dating a couple weeks in fourth grade. Took me a few months to move on from it. Gloria and I never lasted, either."

Lila whispered to him as he held her close, "I'm terribly sorry to hear that, Stinky. I suppose we've _both_ had experiences with broken hearts."

He whispered to her, "If you date me, I promise to never bury yours in the crops."

She said to him, "And _I_ promise that this courtship will be an _oh so_ special one to me. I'll stick by you, and we'll work out things by talking before ending a relationship abruptly."

He pulled away from her as the music ended, "Does that mean you want to date me?"

She laughed lightly, "Of _course,_ Stinky! I would _love_ to!"

He jumped up in the air excitedly, " _Hot dog!_ I reckon I've got myself a brand-new girlfriend!"

She laughed as the music faded and all her friends started clapping.

* * *

"A-five, six, seven, eight, and jump!"

Sheena said to Eugene, "Do you think our routine will win the competition."

He said to her, "I'm guessing it's worth a shot. If we don't win, it's not a big deal. The important thing is that we had _fun,_ and _nobody_ got hurt."

She smiled, "That's a good point, Eugene."

Rhonda huffed as her best friend, Nadine, couldn't help but giggle behind her hands. Rhonda exclaimed, "Can we _please_ stop this _chaos_ on my balcony, before _one_ of you knocks something _over?"_

Almost on cue, Eugene lost his footing when he tried to jump and knocked over a glass monument that was outside, and then landed in Rhonda's pool.

Rhonda jumped up from her seat, yelling out, "Ugh, my parents' _statue!_ You both are… _disqualified!"_

Sheena shouted to Eugene, "Are you okay, Eugene?!"

Eugene came up from the water, coughing a bit. He said to everyone, "I'm okay!"

* * *

Rhonda cleaned up the glass and put caution signs around the area Eugene slid on. Sheena left to help Eugene with his injuries, and Phoebe and Gerald took the center of the _'stage'._

Phoebe was slow dancing with Gerald. She was focused more on his dark brown eyes than anyone's attention on them. She whispered to him, "Slow dancing is rather romantic, Gerald."

He whispered to her, "It's only romantic because I get to slow dance with the prettiest girl at this party."

She started to blush, "Gosh, Gerald, I'm _flattered._ Are you being serious?"

He brought her around in a circle as they stepped together. He admitted to her, "It's the truth. I may have lost you once, but I don't _ever_ plan on losing you _again._ You're my girl." Taking the risk with a slight fear still in his heart from the intimate contact, he leaned in to kiss her lips gently. Phoebe closed her eyes with a smile on her face. His tongue slowly made its way into her mouth, and Phoebe smiled as she enjoyed the first French kiss she'd ever received.

* * *

It was after Nadine got swung across the dance floor a _third_ time that she angrily approached Sid, "Okay, new plan, I don't _care_ if we win, just _please_ … do _not_ let go of me when you're in full swing, okay? I mean, I realize it's _swing_ dancing, but that's _not_ the way you're supposed to do it. I already have bruises developing and I can _hear_ some of our classmates, _laughing_ at us."

Harold, Stinky, and Gerald were laughing hysterically with Helga making wise cracks on the side.

Sid was blushing, completely embarrassed. Dancing _wasn't_ his strong point, "I'm sorry. I just, well, I guess _I'm_ the one that has two left feet, Nadine."

Nadine hit her head with her left hand and whispered to him, wishing the five minutes were over, "Don't worry about it, just don't let go this time until I _tell_ you to, _okay?"_ Nadine thought to herself. _I_ _really_ _wish I was bug catching right now, instead of stuck at one of Rhonda's parties. I'm just not into all this romantic stuff or dancing. That's not the kind of girl I am_ _._

Sid tried to stay positive, even though he was panicking inside, "Oh, okay, no problem." He thought to himself. _I wish I was at a frog catching contest or at home in my room instead of dancing for this competition. What do I need to learn to_ _dance_ _for? It's not like I've got a_ _girlfriend_ _, or even_ _want_ _one._

* * *

Rhonda shook her head as she watched Sid and Nadine walk away. Rhonda mentioned to Nadine, sympathetically, "There's band-aids in the kitchen cabinet, Nadine." Rhonda said to everyone, "And finally, Arnold and Helga will conclude with," she paused a moment as she watched them get up, walking in the center of the balcony, Arnold walked to the left, Helga to the right, "whatever dance they're doing today." She said to them, curiously, "Which dance style _were_ you doing upstairs, anyway?"

They ignored her question as they approached the middle of the balcony on the opposite side of each other. Rhonda shrugged as she went in the kitchen to grab a quick drink and check on Nadine.

Sid, Stinky, and Harold's mouths dropped when they noticed Arnold and Helga's hips twitching as they seductively made their way towards each other.

Gerald whispered to his girlfriend on his left, " _Something_ tells me we're going to need an _air conditioner_ outside in a couple minutes."

Phoebe whispered back to her boyfriend on the right, "With the way their eyes are darkening, I'd have to _concur."_

Helga tried to maintain her control as she moved her hips and they circled around each other's bodies seductively. They entwined their hands with each other's and moved them up and down, moving their hips as she said to him, "I've got to admit, you're a good dancer, Bucko. Sex is said to be the _original_ dance, and yet, while I haven't had the experience, I know how to follow my instincts, just like _we're_ doing right now on the floor," she whispered, feeling his grip on her hands grow a bit stronger, a _sure_ sign her words were getting to him. She whispered into his right ear, low enough for only _him_ to hear, "All these months you wouldn't touch me. Arnold, I'm not going to be easy and _gentle_ with you. We can dance all you like, but _I'm_ going to be the one to make you lose control."

Arnold couldn't help but bring the front of her body against his right leg, until she was practically sitting on his knee. He was _so_ close to her heat now, and he _wanted_ her. He trailed his hands down her chest slowly, feeling the shiver run down her back as he went lower. He whispered to her, hoarsely, "I don't think that's _such_ a good idea. I'm sure you've heard of _karma,_ Helga. And technically, _I'm_ wearing the pants right now." He gripped her lower back with his right hand and pulled her hips against his _core_ with his left. He could feel her moist heat against him, and gasped, feeling his _own_ passion rise. He whispered as he trailed his left hand underneath the dress she wore, "You're _soaked,_ Helga. You can't _possibly_ continue to wear this right now." He was tempted to reach down and take off all the barriers between them and discard them. What would it hurt?

She could feel her insides pulsing as he jammed his fingers inside of her. "I'm doing just _fine_ wearing them, Bucko. Just because I'm a little _wet_ doesn't mean I can't _contain_ myself," she grinned mischievously as she pulled his left hand out of her _heat_ , moving her body so her back was against him, and she grinded. Helga could feel the boy's ridged and rigid penis straining upwards awkwardly, and she used her body to pin it flat against him. She made the fabric strain and caused a moan to come out of her boyfriend's throat. "The question is, how are you going to handle all this stimulation without popping your cork?"

Arnold grabbed Helga's arms with a gasp from her. As he felt her underwear becoming even _more_ wet against him, he couldn't help but move with her to the rhythm of the music, grinding their hips together passionately, in a rhythm not forgotten from passed times. They turned in a circle with their hands entwined. He whispered, "The same way _you're_ going to handle holding back an _orgasm_ on the dance floor. You _can't_ tell me that my groin and everything around it doesn't feel _really_ good, rubbing up against you. Just _think_ about how it would feel with everything on the _floor."_

She whispered, "Shouldn't that be _my_ line? You've been fantasizing about this body for _months_ now, denying yourself everything I have to offer. Don't you want to find out just what I'm capable of? Don't you want to know what I've _learned?_ What I can _do?_ How I _feel?"_ She grinded her body against his more harshly, satisfied when she heard his breath catch, "Don't you want to know what sinking yourself into a puddle of hot, soft, wet warmth is like?"

Arnold managed to turn her around, so that she was in _front_ of him. He moved his hands slowly down her shoulders, brushing her nipples lightly as he passed them. With the moan she let out, he could _tell_ that he was getting to her. Just a few more lines, and she would be putty in his hands that he could play with and work his _own_ magic against. He pulled her against him, his right hand going beneath her _core,_ "Just remember whose fingers _explored_ that hot, soft, wet warmth only some months ago. I know just _what_ buttons to press, just _how_ to finger and lick you until your essence is all _over_ me." He explored her chest with his left hand underneath her outfit while dancing, _completely_ forgetting that they had an audience, watching them and even hearing _parts_ of their heated conversation.

"I—I can get myself going just as good as _you_ can," she breathed huskily, screwing her eyes shut. That image Arnold had planted was _powerful,_ but she _was_ Helga G. Pataki—and she did _not_ surrender just because it was easier than keeping up the fight. "You could say I'm a _total_ expert. It's not so easy for _you_ though, is it, Arnold? I'll bet you can _still_ remember with crystal _clarity_ that fourth month we were sharing your bed. When I slipped my head under the covers and—"

Arnold gasped, pulling Helga away from his body, trying to maintain _some_ sort of control over himself before he flooded his pants. He remembered that night without thinking about it. It was the _second_ time she put her _mouth_ on him, right before he decided he needed to keep his distance and resist getting too close to her. It was—it was the _last_ time he received the pleasure of oral. The thoughts were causing his body to shake and twitch, and his lower stomach was tightening in agony, but he _had_ to resist it. He needed _her_ to cave in _first._ He breathed deeply. She was _sneaky._ She _knew_ that oral sex was one of his weaknesses, especially that second time when she was able to swallow every _bit_ of him. He started to twirl her around to the right with his left hand, and then to the left. The way she was moving was driving him _crazy._ After he pulled her in front of him and against his body, he said to her, still moving his hips against hers, "Trying to use your morning pleasure against me to get me to _break,_ huh, Pataki? Well, _I_ remember something _else_ you may have forgotten that happened around that time." He gripped her left shoulder with his right hand and used his left hand to trail his fingers inside of her core,"On the Sunset Arms rooftop about twelve at night, in March, _I_ had a late _dessert._ As I remember, you even gave me _seconds._ _Mmm,_ it tasted _so_ delicious, so warm and sweet. The forbidden treat." He took his left out of her body, to lick his index finger slowly.

"Giving your compliments to the _chef?_ " Helga asked, breathing heavily. Good _lord_ , that night had been something else—something else _entirely._ It wasn't just the pleasure she could recall, the feelings of Arnold lapping at her, eyes rolling up to meet hers in reverence; it was the sheer electricity of the moment, that she could _finally_ share the most intimate parts of herself with the boy she had loved for _so_ many years. Some moments dived beyond the physical, bonding them for life. That was one of them, "I—I didn't mind preparing that meal for you," she forced herself to swallow. It was getting _so_ hot in there and feeling him against her made her head start spinning, "It's a special recipe I'd never offer to anyone else!"

He couldn't help but groan in the back of his throat, listening to her words. He was barely able to contain himself. Good grief, he was even _pre-releasing_ at this point. It was _so_ hot around them, and he didn't think it was just from the dancing. He was ready to have sex, no, _make love_ with her. He wanted to feel her body _shaking_ against him, not just _dancing._ He even had a strong desire to _take_ her, right there on the dance floor! Managing to control himself, and slowly starting to come back to reality as the music faded. He remembered that everyone was watching them, and he whispered to her so that only _she_ could hear, "I'd never offer myself to anyone else, either, Helga. I want you to have me, every _part_ of me. I want _you,_ not because I'm straining against my boxers or because I _still_ have a spell attached to me, but because I want to offer _myself_ to you. I want _more_ than just sex with you, I want to _make love_ with you." She gasped in surprise at his words, feeling her girlhood tremble.

As the music stopped, the other kids either applauded or stared speechless. A few of them were making comments or laughing.

Stinky stared at them, and admitted to his girlfriend, "I reckon that was a little too graphic for my innocent eyes to watch."

Lila's eyes were wide with shock. She admitted to her boyfriend, staring at Arnold and Helga as well, "I have to admit, that was a rather intimate dance. I don't believe we'll be dancing like _that_ for _quite_ some time, Stinky."

Stinky agreed, "I'm with you _there,_ Miss Sawyer. Square dancing for us!"

Sid was laughing, "Boy howdy! They were practically dancing _naked_ on the _floor!"_

Harold was laughing as his girlfriend to the left of him just stared in shock. Even though she knew at _this_ point Arnold and Helga were dating and had _quite_ a bit of past affections for each other, the _last_ thing she expected was a dance as intimate as the one they shared.

Phoebe was smiling as Gerald hummed his traditional, " _Mm, mmm, mmm, what_ a dance! I've got to say, _that_ was worse than the April Fool's Day dance they shared in fifth grade."

Rhonda was clapping a lot, _impressed_ by their skills on the dance floor. "Oh my, bravo, absolutely _splendid!_ You guys are the winners of this competition! Here," she walked over to the couple and handed Arnold an envelope with their reservations inside. "It's a free night stay for _each_ of you at the Beach Hotel in Hillwood. Considering you _both_ share a room at the boarding house, I'm _sure_ you wouldn't mind sharing a room at the _hotel,_ like Lorenzo and _I_ are doing. The reservation is _only_ for _tonight,_ so I suggest you get in our limo and come with us."

Arnold and Helga glanced at each other heatedly: She swallowed, and he closed his eyes in frustration. Each one _knew_ what the other one was thinking about… but _would they?_

Arnold talked himself down. _I've got to relax. I can't_ _possibly_ _make love with Helga, even if it's at a hotel where we're by ourselves. I've got to be respectful of her boundaries and continue to do what I've been doing,_ _right...?_


	22. Chapter 22: Arnold the Psychologist

**Hey Arnold! Living with Helga**

 **AN:** Thanks for reading! You will notice that all the song lyrics have been taken out of previous chapters, and the story has been edited for easier reading. By the way, this chapter is rated **Teen** if you were wondering. It's also kind of fun, reading back, knowing that Arnold had a spell on him the whole story. It should all tie together perfectly.

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **The J.A.M.:** Lol, yes, it is. Thanks for the review.  
 **Kryten:** Yes, I love keeping my readers on their toes; it's a talent. Thanks for the review.  
 **Nairobi-Harper:** Wow, thank you! And thanks for the review.  
 **Em Pataki:** I did read that story, and I would say your theory is correct. At _that_ point in my story, Helga was beginning to lose faith. Yes, everyone is going to start asking Arnold for more advice in this chapter, but I only _lightly_ touched on it. Thanks for the review.  
 **PlayOutInTheRain:** Thanks, you too, and thanks for the review.  
 **Thatamosgirl:** I enjoyed writing that scene, but it took a lot of time to put together. Thanks for the review.  
 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for the review.  
 **Basingtei:** Lol, so glad you enjoy the story, and thanks for the review!  
 **Angelbaby97:** Me too. I'm going to miss this story. Thanks for the review.  
 **Smooth Pancakes:** Yeah, and just think, I _almost_ ended the chapter halfway through. And yes, it's understandable why Helga would have trouble believing Arnold loves her. I was planning on Gerald and Phoebe getting back together the whole story, and that dance scene was one of the best bits of role-playing I'd _ever_ done with somebody. It was hysterical to write, yet hot at the same time. Thanks for all your reviews.  
 **Eveythingicecream:** In some ways, I _should_ , but it's _not_ happening. I'm kind of tempted to take the end of chapter eleven out, too. Thanks for the review.  
 **Kazakhpotato:** Aww, thank you! This is the _last_ chapter, but I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks for the review.  
 **CoolGirl_Pataki** : Hey! I'm pleased with the results of Arnold and his parents' relationship. I've never seen _Inuyasha_ , but I'll watch it sometime and see what you're talking about. I was _dying_ to write the confession scene, and that dance scene was fun to write. This isn't the end of the talk about addictions even though it's the completion of the spell Helga put on Arnold. Thanks for the review.  
 **Forever Rogue:** Gerald will _still_ need to make a lot of progress with Phoebe, but I'm happy with their conclusion. They _are_ eleven/twelve years old after all. It frustrated _me_ interrupting that confessions scene and the dance was _crazy_ to write. Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks for the review.  
 **The Wasp1995:** I responded to you in a PM, but I _still_ want to thank you here for your reviews to this story. I enjoy reading them. Hopefully the ending is _exactly_ what you're looking for. It should answer any additional questions you have. Can't wait to see how Rhonda's party plays out in _your_ story!

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Arnold The Psychologist**

 **Sunday, June 19th: Afternoon…**

 **Arnold's Room, 6 PM…**

Helga was lying on her right side on Arnold's bed, reading a jug-head magazine when Arnold walked in from taking a shower. He had his regular clothes back on, and his hair was hanging down with a towel sitting over both of his shoulders. They hadn't said much to each other that day, but knew they needed to go to bed soon, and face what happened between them.

Helga sat up from his bed and looked his sultry body over. She couldn't help but shiver in _want_ as she remembered what his hands did to her that night _,_ and then she swallowed the lump in her throat before she whispered to him, "Did… did you _just_ take a _cold shower?"_ She was hoping she wasn't the _only_ one that was feeling the temperature rise around them again.

He nodded embarrassingly as he walked in front of her, before saying, "Helga, what happened last night," he took a deep breath, "it was _something._ I mean, it was _wrong_ but in all the _right_ _ways_ —"

"—And let me guess, _Bucko_." She stood up and narrowed her eyes at him, "We're going to pretend _that_ didn't happen, _either,_ aren't we? This just in, _Arnold-o._ _You_ were the one that started touching me on the dance floor and wanted to dance the _lambada,_ not _me!_ And don't even _think_ about blaming your _eagerness_ on that _stupid_ spell because it's _not_ going to work. You were sexually frustrated _after_ the spell was broken! _Doi!"_

He sighed as he grabbed both of her warm hands with his and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. Just _looking_ at her was causing his heart to skip beats, and his body to feel _tense,_ and he didn't have a _spell_ he could blame it on. He admitted to her with embarrassment, " _About_ that. I've been a bit more, well, _frustrated_. My hormones have been going _crazy_ since last night. I mean, I haven't been able to focus on anything _else—"_

"— _Whoa-boy,_ you're not the _only_ one." She let go of his hands to fan her face with _her_ hands. "I'm so _hot_ right now I'm practically _soaked_! What did you _do_ to me last night, Bucko? Now _I'm_ the one who's _sex crazed!"_

He blushed as he rubbed his neck and turned away, "I guess I got kind of, uh… _carried away?"_

She blushed as well as she mumbled back, "Yeah, that's _one_ way of putting it."

Arnold took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts and his body down. The tension between them wasn't helping _anything,_ _especially_ with them still _living_ together and sharing a _bedroom._ He forced down his hormones before saying to her, "Listen, I don't want to _fight_ about this, and I don't want things to be awkward between us, either. We've been getting along great lately, and I don't want to ruin it, all because of our hormones. I don't think either of us should let what happened back there affect us." He held out his left hand to gesture towards the outside, "We both went a little overboard, sure, and it was a bit hands-on and unplanned, but—"

"Save your sermon, Football Head." She took a breath, now trying to calm _her_ mind down, "What's done is done, but _I'm_ not the one trying to change _myself_ or the sexual feelings I _have_. The _real_ question is: what are _you_ going to do about what we've done? How are _you_ going to face the other seventh graders in a couple months while you're solving their problems? And is this _your_ relapse or did this really _happen_ between us in front of everybody?" She crossed her arms, tapped her left foot, and waited impatiently for his " _do-goodie"_ answer or any _excuses_ he had. She asked him a _trick_ question and she _knew_ it. If he said it _didn't_ happen, _that_ meant everything that happened that night didn't mean _anything_ to him, including his _feelings_ for her... but if he said it _did_ happen, wouldn't _that_ mean he _"fell off the wagon"_ again? And wouldn't _that_ mean she was a _mistake_ for him, and that he didn't solve his own problems after all?

He looked into her weak and tired eyes, not knowing how to answer such a tender question. Instead of answering with _words,_ he moved closer to her and brought his hands down her thin arms until they reached _her_ hands. He squeezed them gently as he looked into her surprised eyes. He raised his left hand to tilt down her chin and leaned close as he kissed her gently. He licked her lips passionately as she slowly opened her mouth to him. His French kiss was passionate, but not lustful. It was full of tenderness and unconditional love.

Something was _different_ to Helga. For a moment, she kissed him back with as much passion as _he_ was kissing _her_ , before realizing that he didn't explain _anything_ to her. Suddenly, she pushed him away as she used to do in the past, and asked him harshly, "What _gives?_ What the heck was _that_ for? I asked you for _words,_ not _actions._ Why are you constantly _kissing_ me instead of _talking?!_ Why haven't you learned to say what you _feel?!"_

He tried to explain with _words,_ "Babe, calm down. You need to learn that sometimes actions speak _louder_ than words. ' _I love you_ ' isn't enough to convey my feelings for you, and words can't _explain_ how much I _don't_ want to take back _anything_ that's happened between us, even the bad. You're my world, and you always _will_ be."

She swallowed in nervousness as she asked softly, "You… don't want to take back _anything_? Even all the times we were sneaking around, trying not to get _caught?"_

He explained _,_ "Of _course_ not. It's a learning experience, and life isn't a _destination,_ it's a _journey._ A journey _each_ of us must walk along every-day and try to ' _do the right thing'_." He pondered a moment. "The goal isn't to get _rid_ of all the problems and addictions in the world. Maybe helping others _eliminate_ their shortcomings is _hindering_ them. The goal should be to walk _with_ them in their journeys and help them to help _others._ We're _all_ going to backslide sometimes in life, but isn't that _normal?_ Life's a journey to be a better person than we were yesterday."

She was silent a moment as she thought about her many mistakes in the past, before asking softly, "Do you really _believe_ that? I mean, all my past tongue-lashings toward our class isn't _meaningless_ , even your _own_ mistakes have a _purpose?"_

He put his right arm around her shoulders and walked her over to his window, to the outside world, "One day you might be able to use what you've learned to help somebody else, just like my mom helped you through the pain from her past experiences with _abuse._ I'm already helping multiple people with a variety of different addictions. I think a lot of people were afraid to come forward about more _serious_ problems until they realized I had them, too. It took me awhile to bring my old self back, you know, the Arnold that feels responsible enough to help others, but after learning from my _own_ problems, I was able to put my past failures behind me and do what I did before, help others with _their_ problems." As they both watched the different people walking around to various places outside, he said to her firmly, "Don't _ever_ let your past bullying or problems with your aggression cause you to give up on yourself. One day, you're going to be _thankful_ you've been through the struggle."

Before she could think of a reply to his _incredible_ speech, there was a knock on the bedroom door. The two preteens turned around and glanced in curiosity at it, wondering who it was.

Stella walked in and over to the two preteens, holding out a cordless phone with urgency. She looked a bit concerned, "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I think this is important. Helga, there's someone on the phone for you."

Helga looked at Arnold before she grabbed the phone from Mrs. Shortman, "Thanks, Mrs. Shortman. Well, guess I'm going downstairs to talk to _Phoebs."_

After Helga walked out, Arnold noticed his mom's worried gaze, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Stella sat down on his bed, putting her head in her arms, trying not to be upset. As Arnold sat down on her left with a curious look, she looked up in his eyes again, and started to explain, "Helga's mother is on the phone. If she's doing _worse,_ it could be difficult for Helga, but if she's doing _better,_ it _may_ be difficult for all of _us."_

"What do you _mean?"_ Arnold was silent a moment before he blinked in realization, thinking about Helga's living situation. Would she _really_ leave him if given the opportunity?

 _No..._

 **Downstairs…**

Helga sat down on the couch downstairs before answering, "What's up, Phoebs? How are you and _Gerald?_ Any more trouble getting him to _give in_ to you?"

Miriam sighed on the other line, sitting on her _own_ living room couch. She was nervous about bringing everything up to her youngest daughter, but she knew she _had_ to, "Helga, it's not Phoebe, it's your mom, _Miriam."_

Helga gasped. She just about dropped the phone in shock, " _Miriam?!"_ Once she caught her breath, she exclaimed, "I didn't even know you were still _alive!_ I mean, I thought you were in one of those _treatment_ homes?!"

Miriam admitted, "I got kicked out. I had to get _real_ help for my addiction and move on past my last relationship before getting in touch with you. I didn't have another choice if I wanted to stop drinking."

Helga was curious and brought the phone closer to her ear. She whispered hesitantly, "Where are you _now,_ Mom? Are you living with _Olga?_ Are you back with _Big Bob?_ I need to know _everything!"_

Miriam said sternly, "Honey, your father is gone from our lives, and probably always _will_ be. I am _not_ going back into an abusive relationship with him, and I'm _not_ putting you or your sister through that emotional abuse again. Right now, I'm living in my own apartment."

Helga paused a moment before saying, "I— _really?_ You're living in an _apartment?_ Wait a minute, does _that_ mean you have _income?_ You're actually _working_ again?!" She never thought she'd see the day!

Miriam explained, "I am the manager at Mrs. Vitello's flower shop. Mrs. Vitello retired and left her business to me. I work a lot these days with order arrangements and flower designs. I'm hardly ever home. It's become my life, my reason for existing. My other reason, Sweetie, is _you."_

Helga was speechless for a moment as she listened to her mom talk.

Miriam took a deep breath, "Honey, I am _so_ sorry for being such an awful parent over the years. I know there's nothing I can do and no excuses I can make to take back the days I was drinking. All I could do was change myself. I've been sober for six months now. I'm in recovery and I'm going to Alcoholics Anonymous every week. I wanted to wait to get in touch with you until I knew I could be the kind of parent you would be _proud_ of, that is, if you're willing to give me _one_ last chance to do this _right._ I can't promise you expensive things or gourmet meals, but I _can_ promise you a _home._ I want to be your _Mom_ again, the mom I should've been since you were _born._ You're the _only_ daughter I have left to raise."

Helga was silent as she processed everything her mom said, "You're—you're being _serious,_ aren't you?" She swallowed nervously, "Are you _sure_ about all of this, Miriam? This is _a lot_ to take in. I mean, you're _really_ sober for the first time _ever_ and your willing to take me _back—"_

" _Offering_ you the _invitation_ to move in with me. It's a two-bedroom, so you'll have your _own_ room again. I know it's not a house, and it's not anything fancy like the home we had before we moved into the beeper emporium, but I got it hoping you would move in. It's up to you, Sweetie. If you want to stay at the boarding house with Arnold instead, I can't really _stop_ you. I'm sure he's shown you what love is in the last year, more than _I_ ever did in your whole _life._ And I'm _sure_ his parents have shown you what a _real_ home is like as well. After all, living with me hasn't been much of a _home_ for you over the years, has it, Helga?" she admitted sadly.

Helga couldn't get past hearing her mom was _sober,_ "You're _really_ not drinking anymore? And you have a _job?_ _And_ you have a _two-bedroom apartment?"_ She thought to herself. _She's completely serious, isn't she?_

Miriam nodded, saying softly, "Yes, I've got _all_ of that. I've even got my _license_ back. My motivation to change was _you_. Once I hit rock bottom, only the memories of having my two daughters back in my life gave me _hope."_

Helga asked nervously, "And _Olga?_ Where is _she?"_

Miriam smiled, "She's living with Susie now. She's staying in another apartment around the area."

Helga jumped up from the couch and exclaimed in excitement, "This is _amazing!_ All I've _ever_ wanted was a mom that didn't drink all the time and a sister who could get her act together!" She blinked, thinking about something _else,_ _"Wait_ a minute, is Olga _really_ not with that _scum_ anymore?" she thought to herself. _Maybe we can actually get along now._

Miriam reassured her, "He's in _jail,_ Helga, and Olga won't be getting into another relationship anytime soon after what she's been through." She paused a moment before saying, "So, what do you say, Sweetie? Are you willing to give me one _final_ chance?"

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 22nd, Arnold's room…**

Arnold was standing up, having a heated argument with his girlfriend, "I can't _believe_ you! One conversation with your mom and you're ready to move out of the Boarding House?!" He was starting to understand his mom's sadness a few days ago; he was _devastated._

Helga argued back, "Oh, quit being such a baby!Out of _all_ the people to understand why I'm moving out, I figured _you'd_ be the first one! You really _are_ selfish, you know that? You think that I'm your _property_ now or something? That I _can't_ have my own life _apart_ from you? This... just... in _,"_ she screamed, "She's… _changed!"_

He groaned as he put his right hand on his forehead. He was getting a headache from thinking about not living with her anymore. He was hoping to change her mind and he couldn't help but be a _bit_ selfish, after all; how was _he_ going to live without _her?_ He spoke up, nervously, "You know you _don't_ have to do this, right? You have a _good_ home at the boarding house with me and my parents-"

She growled, sick of his persistence, "You know what? If you don't love me enough to be _happy_ about me moving back in with my mom after she's gotten sober _,_ maybe we shouldn't be in a relationship!"

He felt the _life_ pour out of him at her cruel words, "What?! But, how would _that_ make things _any_ better?! I _need_ you in my life, Helga!"

She raised her arms, and said harshly, "And don't you think I need my _mom_ in _mine?!_ What about _your_ _parents'_ disappearance? How would _you_ feel if I decided _not_ to sacrifice my locket and save your parents, all because I wanted to keep you for _myself?!_ If I wasn't willing to take the risk they would stay in San Lorenzo and take you _away_ from me, you would _never_ have your parents back, because _I_ never would have sacrificed _anything!_ I loved you enough to give you what _you_ wanted, at the sacrifice you might leave me _forever!"_

He paused a moment before saying to her, "Oh, come on, Helga. That's _different."_

"What's so _different_ about it? If you stayed with your parents in San Lorenzo, of _course_ I would've been upset, but I would've wanted you to be _happy._ Isn't that the way you should feel about _me_ and _my_ life?!"

"I _do,_ Helga, it's just..." He sighed, before saying, "You've taught me _so_ much about life. You've made me a better person, and after living with you for eight months, it's going to be a difficult adjustment to live _without_ you. Everyone hear is going to miss you. You've become like _family!"_

Despite Arnold's honest words, she laughed bitterly. It was hard to believe _anyone_ would miss _her._ She was _still_ mean a lot of the time, even when her intentions were to be _nice._ She said to him,"I was more of a _hindrance_ to all of you than _anything._ Besides, I can always _visit,_ and you won't have to worry about ' _giving in_ ' with me. Isn't _this_ what you _need?"_

He groaned, pulling her against him in a gentle hug, "What I _need_ is you here right now! Your presence has helped me with my problems more than your absence _ever_ will."

She paused a moment before she smirked, ruffling his cornflour hair, "You know, I can always _give_ you something to remember me by, right?"

He shushed her playful yet tempting words, " _Hush_. At least let me savor the last few moments I _have_ with you here."

She couldn't help but chuckle, "Who would've known you to be the _clingy_ type? I'm _still_ going to be your girlfriend when I leave, you know."

* * *

 **Saturday, June 25th, afternoon…**

Arnold got off the city bus and looked down at the address in his left hand, the _new_ address where Helga now lived with _Miriam._ She moved out a couple days ago. He missed holding her every night, talking to her every day. He would give _anything_ just to argue with her everyday again. He was a _mess._

Seeing the signs to the apartment homes, he walked over until he saw the address Helga gave him. It was a brown and red apartment building. He walked up the stoop and knocked on the door.

It was Helga that opened the door with a teasing smirk, "Hey, Football Head, how's _tricks?_ So, guessing you came over for a tour of the place, huh?" She held out her left hand as he walked in and looked around at the living room, painted in brown and yellow. It looked like a relaxing atmosphere, a lot more relaxing than any of the _other_ places Helga lived, even the boarding house. It was clean and organized, not to mention there was a wonderful smell of food that was coming from the kitchen. "Is your mom home from work yet?" he asked her.

Helga nodded, sitting on their couch in front of the television. She turned it off and looked at her boyfriend, who sat down to the right of her, "It's Mom's first day off work in two _weeks._ She's making meals for me to microwave, since I'm going to be home by myself a lot. She's also making dinner tonight. We're going to play _Monopoly_ later if you want to stay for dinner."

Underneath the heartbreak he had of his girlfriend leaving the boarding house, he was relieved to hear she was doing good. "That's _great!_ I'm glad to hear the both of you are doing well and getting along."

Miriam walked out of the mini kitchen; an oven mitt was in her hands. She sat the cooked lasagna down on the table in front of Arnold and Helga, "Hey, Arnold. Helga, why didn't you tell me you had friends coming over? I could've made extra food for all of us. Anyway, have as much as you want, there should be enough for all three of us. I'll put more in the oven." Her mom turned around to walk back in the kitchen.

Helga stood up and held out her right hand, "Mom, uh, wait a minute!" When Miriam turned to look at Helga in surprise, she said to her mom, " _This_ is my _boyfriend,_ Arnold. He'll probably be over _a lot_ this summer. Yep, _just_ wanted you to know." She stood there with her hands behind her back, embarrassed for making a scene, but happy she was being opened with her mom, for probably the first time in her _life._

Miriam smiled. She was happy that her daughter had a boyfriend but unhappy because of all the _wasted_ years she _still_ needed to make up for, "Sweetie, I am _so_ happy for you, that you have somebody that's good for you to share your life with."

He rubbed his left arm with his right hand, watching the whole scene. It was obvious Helga felt more comfortable around her mom because she was more open with her about her life. Maybe _he_ needed to be open with Miriam as well, "Speaking of sharing our lives, I need to talk with you about some things, Miriam. Do you have a moment?"

Miriam paused a moment before saying, "I suppose I can get some more food ready to be oven baked in a couple minutes. What's _wrong,_ Arnold? Is there anything you needed to talk about?"

Helga noticed her boyfriend's hesitance and Miriam's concerned expression, and excused herself, looking down at her _"fake"_ watch. She lied, "Well, will you look at the time? _Wrestle-Mania_ 's on! Catch you both later." She ran upstairs, giving them privacy. For the first time in a _long_ time, she wasn't worried about her boyfriend cheating on her, or telling her mom about the private aspects of their relationship. Maybe it had to do with her changing herself and working on cognitive behavior therapy, or maybe it was because she was growing up. One thing was for sure, after everything her and Arnold had been through in the last year, she _trusted_ him.

Miriam sat down on Arnold's left, where Helga was previously sitting. She asked, "What did you want to talk about, Arnold?"

He could tell the woman in front of him had changed from the woman he saw at the homeless shelter last year. He forced himself to look in her eyes, even with the _guilt_ he felt lingering behind them at what he was going to say, "I need to apologize for leaving you at the homeless shelter, and for not being more supportive when you were struggling with your alcohol addiction." He put his hands in his lap, continuing, "I know there isn't an excuse for my ignorance, but as an explanation, I didn't understand what you were going through. Not only had I never _been_ an alcoholic, but I didn't understand the process of withdrawal or the devastating effects of an addiction on the mind. I'm sorry."

Miriam was silent a moment before she turned to him and said, reassuringly, "It's understandable, Arnold. You wouldn't have understood what I was going through, and I don't expect you to _now._ I forgive you for being naïve. After all, you're the same age as my daughter, twelve. I don't expect you to know about addictive tendencies at _your_ age."

He took a deep breath, before saying, "Well, I didn't know what withdrawal _was_ at the time, but I do _now._ I'm embarrassed to say that I struggled with my _own_ problems this year. I even needed to seek help with a _psychologist._ I'm thankful though, because it's helped me to understand myself and the world a little better. It's also helped me to be a more compassionate person to people who are struggling with addictions _now._ Miriam, if you need _anything_ or _somebody_ to talk to, to get you through a difficult time, I'm here. I may be only _twelve,_ but I'm good at listening and solving other problems. If there's any time you feel tempted or you need to talk with somebody, I'm going to give you my number to call. I may not understand _exactly_ what you're going through, but I can be there to listen and to be a shoulder for you to lean on sometimes."

She couldn't help but smile at the young man, and she gently hugged him in gratitude as he allowed her to embrace him. She said to him, softly and gratefully, "Thank you, Arnold. I appreciate that very much…"

* * *

 **Sunday, June 26th, afternoon…**

Arnold and Helga were holding hands, walking around the neighborhood. They were currently in the park. It was a beautiful sunny day, and they were enjoying their first date as a couple in _months._ It was a nice change from all the sexual tension and fighting they had been doing for the past year.

Helga sat down on the ground with her knees up, underneath some trees in the park, in a shady area where the sun couldn't reach. She said to him as he sat on the ground in front of her, "So, been meaning to ask you, _boyfriend._ What's with the blue notepad you've been carrying around everywhere in your left pocket for the past week? I didn't realize I was hanging out with _Phoebe_."She thought to herself, _Then again, Phoebs only carried that notepad because of ideas and evil schemes I would have, usually to do with Arnold… so what's_ _his_ _deal?_

Arnold took out the notepad and explained to her, "It's where I keep track of everyone's _problems._ There's been more people coming to me for advice since I spoke at graduation, _so_ many, that it would be _too_ many problems to handle without writing them all down. I'm in training with Doctor Bliss to become a psychologist one day, and I'm using this opportunity to work through all the problems I can."

She asked, curiously, "But, I thought you said after graduation that you didn't _want_ to solve anybody's _problems_ anymore."

He explained to her, "I only felt that way because of how much I was struggling with my _own_ problems. Now that I've been able to forgive _myself,_ I've been able to help _others_ again. Doctor Bliss also reminded me that everybody makes mistakes sometimes, including me."

"But, why _write_ them down in the _first_ place? You've _never_ had to take notes on anybody's problems _before._ It's always comes _naturally_ to you. What, are you losing your _touch_ or something?"

He explained, "Not exactly." He opened his mini-notepad to show her his notes, looking into her eyes, "In this notepad are problems related to drug addictions, pornography, gambling, and over-eating, among other things. I listed the problems _without_ the names, only _initials_. The problems people are asking me to help them conquer are more severe and require more time to work through. They _also_ require things such as _cognitive behavioral therapy_ and _meditation,_ among other coping mechanisms. They aren't simple problems. This is giving me practice for solving even _deeper_ problems in the future."

Her eyes widened, "Why are you trying to _torture_ yourself?! Just be a kid while you've still got the _chance!"_

He sighed before he said, "I'm not _torturing_ myself, I'm _helping_ myself, and I'm _not_ a little kid anymore, I'm practically a _teenager_. If anything, I _need_ to know how to solve problems like this, for my _own_ sake. It also helps me to not focus on my _own_ … tendencies?"

She had to laugh at that before saying sarcastically, "Is _that_ supposed to mean you've been _'taking care of yourself_ ' without me? Criminy."

He explained to her sternly, "I'm _taking care_ of myself by taking care of _others._ It's what I'm _destined_ to do. Helga, you'll _always_ have a place in my heart, but there will be time for _those_ things later." He looked into her eyes, grabbing both of her hands, "I'll never forget all you've taught me about life. How living with you has changed _me_."

She nodded, "Well, that's pretty _obvious_ from that first paper you wrote. Where has the _time_ gone? I can't _believe_ we're entering seventh grade in a couple months, or that we've been together for almost a _year!"_

He moved closer to her and put his forehead against hers. He said, softly, in a whisper, "It _is_ pretty crazy, but I don't regret _any_ of it, even the _tough_ times," he leaned in to kiss her lips gently. No Frenching or tongue lapping this time, just a gentle loving kiss that told Helga the things words could _never_ say. A kiss full of youth, unconditional love and _innocence_. He pulled back reluctantly and looked into her blue eyes, leaning his forehead against hers. The words that were so difficult to say a year ago slid off his tongue easily now, with a half-lidded gaze, "I _love_ you, Helga."

She sighed with a love-struck look, content with life and all the gifts she received, including the words of Arnold's _love_ for her. She softly said back, "I love you too, _Goof-wad."_

* * *

 _Olga continued to live with Susie until she got her doctorate in special education and moved out to her own house. She's still single, and unsure if there will_ _ever_ _be a "Mister Right"._

 _Bob Pataki never looked back and continued to work and live in Oregon with his uncle, until his football days caught up with him and he developed Alzheimer's. Less than ten years after his divorce, a heart attack was the end of him. No one from Hillwood knew or bothered to notice, except Helga when she had to research her medical history before she married Arnold._

 _Yes, Miriam inherited Mrs. Vitello's store, and she became an interior decorator. She had an occasional alcohol relapse due to the stress of managing a business and difficult memories from her past, in which Helga returned momentarily to Sunset Arms, but those were minor stumbles. She_ _always_ _recovered and recognized that recovery would be a lifelong process for her._

 _It would be naïve to say that Arnold never relapsed nor gave in physically with Helga again, especially since he's in_ _love_ _with her, but he took his mistakes as learning experiences and opportunities to teach his peers "the right thing to do". Helga did the same with her aggressive and bullying tendencies, choosing to allow her failures to make her a better person, not a bitter person._

 _Nobody's perfect, after all. We can only strive to do the best we can and help others along our_ _journey_ _._

 _ **THE END!**_

* * *

 **Special Thanks (you know what you did):**  
Craig Bartlett  
The J.A.M  
Lord Malachite  
The WASP

 **Songs that inspired me AKA Living with Helga song album:**  
"All of Me" - John Legend (Chapter 2) (Arnold)  
"Piece by Piece"- Kelly Clarkson (Chapter 2) (Helga)  
"I'm With You" - Avril Lavigne (Chapter 3) (Helga)  
"What I was trying to do" - Rascal Flatts (Chapter 3) (Arnold)  
"Shameless" - Garth Brooks (Chapter 4) (Arnold)  
"Landslide" - Fleetwood Mac (Chapter 4) (Helga)  
"I Won't Give Up"- Jason Mraz (Chapter 4) (Arnold)  
"Concrete Angel" - Martina Mcbride (Chapter 5) (Helga  
"Stand By you - The Pretenders (Chapter 5) (Helga)  
"Burning House" - Cam (Chapter 6) (Arnold) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Stand By You" - Rachel Platten (Chapter 7) (Helga)  
"Bring me to Life" - Evanescence (Chapter 7) (Helga/Arnold) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Wreaking Ball" - Miley Cyrus (Chapter 8) (Arnold)  
"Beautiful Mess" - Diamond Rio (Chapter 8) (Arnold)  
"One More Night" - Maroon 5 (Chapter 9) (Arnold)  
"Battlefield" - Jordin Sparks (Chapter 9) (Helga) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Sometimes When We Touch" - Dan Hill (Chapter 9) (Arnold)  
"Hands Clean - Alanis Morissette (Chapter 10) (Helga)  
"Love Hurts" - Incubus (Chapter 10) (Arnold) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Animals" - Maroon 5 (Chapter 10) (Helga)  
"Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani (Chapter 10) (Helga)  
"Dark Horse" - Katy Perry (Chapter 11) (Helga) **RECOMMENDED**  
"We Need A Resolution" - Aaliyah (Chapter 11) (Helga)  
"Hole In The World" - The Eagles (Chapter 11) (Miriam/Olga)  
"I Feel It Coming" - The Weeknd (Chapter 11) (Arnold)  
"That's All" - Genesis (Chapter 11) (Arnold)  
"Kiss From A Rose" - Seal (Chapter 12) (Arnold)  
"Show Me Your Colours" - S-Club 7 (Chapter 12) (Arnold) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Died in your Arms Tonight" - Cutting Crew (Chapter 12) (Arnold)  
"Toxic" - Britney Spears (Chapter 12) (Helga)  
"What do you want from me" - Adam Lambert (Chapter 13) (Arnold)  
"All the Things she said" - TATU (Chapter 13) (Arnold)  
"Show me the meaning of being lonely" - Backstreet Boys (Chapter 13) (Arnold)  
"Clarity" - Zedd (Chapter 13) (Helga)  
"Elastic Heart" - Sia (Chapter 13) (Helga)  
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler (Chapter 13) (Helga/Arnold)  
"Try" - Pink (Chapter 14) (Helga)  
"Standing Outside the Fire" - Garth Brooks (Chapter 14) (Arnold)  
"It's Amazing"- Aerosmith (Chapter 14) (Arnold) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Breaking the Habit" - Linkin Park (Chapter 14) (Arnold) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Nobody knows it but me" - Tony Rich (Chapter 15) (Arnold)  
"I wanna Know what Love is" - Foreigner (Chapter 15) (Arnold)  
"Head over Feet" - Alanis Morissette (Chapter 15) (Helga)  
"Sweet Dreams are Made of This" - Eurythmics (Chapter 15) (Helga)  
"With or Without You" - U2 (Chapter 15) (Arnold)  
"Will you wait for Me" - Brett Young (Chapter 15) (Arnold)  
"It matters to me" - Faith Hill (Chapter 15) (Helga)  
"Hold on" - Wilson Phillips (Chapter 16) (Arnold)  
"Fight Song" - Rachel Platten (Chapter 16) (Helga)  
"The Long Run" - The Eagles (Chapter 16) (Arnold)  
"Because of You" - Kelly Clarkson (Chapter 16) (Helga)  
"Uma Thurman" - Fallout Boys (Chapter 16) (Arnold) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Right Here Waiting" - Richard Marx (Chapter 17) (Arnold)  
"The Reason" - Hoobastank (Chapter 17) (Helga) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Numb" - Linkin Park (Chapter 17) (Arnold)  
"That's The Way It Is" - Celine Dion (Chapter 17) (Helga)  
"Invincible" - Kelly Clarkson (Chapter 18) (Helga)  
"Hit me with your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar (Chapter 18) (Helga)  
"Counting Stars" - Onerepublic (Chapter 19) (Arnold)  
"Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor (Chapter 20) (Arnold) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Lose Yourself" - Eminem (Chapter 20) (Arnold)  
"Hella Good" - No Doubt (Chapter 21) (Helga)  
"Dance, Dance" - Fallout Boys (Chapter 21) (Arnold) **RECOMMENDED**  
"Far Away" - Nickelback (Chapter 21) (Arnold)  
"Misery" - Gwen Stefani (Chapter 21) (Helga)  
"Moves Like Jagger"- Maroon 5 (Chapter 21) (Arnold/Helga)  
"Rock Your Body" - Justin Timberlake (Chapter 21) (Arnold/Helga)  
"I Know You" - Skylar Gray (Chapter 21) (Helga)  
"Love Me Like You Do" - Ellie Goulding (Chapter 21) (Helga)  
"Shape of my Heart" - Backstreet Boys (Chapter 21) (Arnold)  
"Making Love Out of Nothing At All" - Air Supply (Chapter 21) (Arnold)  
"Careless Whispers" - George Micheals (Chapter 21) (Arnold)  
"Masochism Tango" - Tom Lehrer (Chapter 21) (Arnold)  
"Back at One" - Brian McKnight (Chapter 21) (Gerald/Phoebe)  
"Pray" - JRY ft. Rooty (Chapter 21) (Arnold/Helga)  
"The Safety Dance" - Men without Hats (Chapter 21) (Harold/Patti)  
"Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie (Chapter 22) (Helga)  
"Someday" - Nickelback (Chapter 22) (Arnold)


End file.
